OCT  1  1920 


"series  of  tracts 


ON 


religious  and  moral 


SUBJECTS, 


ISSUED  BY  THE 


TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 


m  THREE  VOLUMES. 


VOL.  III. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
DEPOSITORY,   304    ARCH  STREET. 


1S93. 


LIST  OF  TRACTS. 


No.  J  .  Pages. 

97.  JohnStickland,   20 

98.  Brief  Account  of  Robert 4  Barclay,   24 

99.  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Solomon  Bayley,  formerly  a  Slave,...  12 

100.  Extracts  from  the  Writings  of  Isaac^Penington,   32 

101.  A  Proper  Use  of  Riches,  Exemplified  in  the  Life  of  Richard 

Reynolds,   8 

102.  Ralph  Dixon,  the  Converted  Soldier   12 

103.  A  New  Child;  A  Biography  of  Lydia  Ann  Nixon,   4 

104.  Gay  and  Costly  Apparel,   12 

lOo.    Lives  and  Happy  Deaths  of  Two  Little  Children,   4 

106.  The  True  Christian's  Rale  of  Life,   8 

107.  The  Test  of  our  Christianity,   8 

108.  The  Light  of  the  World,...*.   12 

109.  The  Kingdom  of  God  Within,   8 

110.  On  Lying,   8 

111.  Short  Account  of  the  Last  Illness  and  Death  of  Helen  Brick,  8 

112.  The  Christians'  Joy,   2 

113.  The  Power  of  Divine  Grace,  as  Manifested  in  the  Life  of 

William  Chapman   12 

114.  The  Inward  Life  and  Power  of  Christ   8 

115.  Samuel  Fothergill,   20 

116.  Because  of  Swearing  the  Land  Mourneth,"   2 

117.  What  is  it?   4 

118.  OnPraver,  4   8 

119.  On  Faith  and  Hope  in  God.    By  Henry  Tnke,   4 

120.  The  Love  of  God.    By  Henr/fuke  *   2 

121.  On  the  Fear  of  God.  "  By  HenryTuke,   4 

122.  On  Religious  Meditation".    By  Henry  Tuke,   4 

123.  Public  Worship,  and  the  Appropriation  of  One  Day  in  the 

Week  for  this  Purpose.    By  Henry  Tuke,   8 

124.  Thanksgiving  and  Praise.    By  Henry  Tuke,  ,   4 

125.  Watchfulness  and  Waiting  upon  God.    By  Henry  Tuke,   4 

120.    Obedience  and  Patience.    By  Henry  Tuke   4 

127.  Repentance  towards  God  and  Faith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus 

Christ     By  Henry  Tuke,   4 

128.  Tender  Counsel  and  Advice.    Bv  William  Penn,   4 

129.  The  Prodigal,   2 

130.  How  to  Become  Happy,   4 

131.  Is  Temperate  Drinking  Safe?   2 

132.  Faithfulness  in  Little  Thing-,   4 

133.  Striking  Incidents  (Temperance),   12 

134.  On  Fiction  Reading,   8 

135.  Demoralizing  Literature  and  Art,   8 


iv  LIST  OF  TRACTS. 


No.  Pages. 
136.    The  Sailor  in  prison  to  his  Fellow  Sailors  and  to  his  Former 

Companions,    16 

137:    Injurious  Effects  of  Tobacco,   12 

138.  Heathen  Names  for  Days  and  Months,  v   4 

139.  Convincement  and  Gospel  Labors  of  Stephen  Grellet,   20 

140.  Earthly  and  Heavenly  Treasure  Contrasted,   2 

141.  A  Visit  to  the  Prisoners  at  Spandau,  in  Germany.  By 

Thomas  Shillitoe,   4 

142.  John   Banks'  True  Testimony  Concerning  his  Faith  in 

Christ   4 

143.  The  Government  of  our  Thoughts,..   4 

144.  The  Duty  and  Efficacy  of  True  Prayer,   8 

145.  George  Withy,     8 

146.  Was  it  Time  Lost  ?   4 

147.  Remarkable  Conversion  of  A.  E.  Kothen,  ^/   4 

148.  Visit  to  Italy  and  Pope  Pius  VII.    By  Stephen  Grellet,   12 

149.  On  Worship,   12 

150.  A  Concise  Explanation  of  the  Views  of  Friends  on  Lan- 

guage, Dress  and  Manners,   12 

151.  Memoir  of  James  Robinson,  formerly  a  Soldier,   12 

152.  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Henry  Robberman,   8 

153.  What  Then?   2 

154.  The  True  Christian  Communion,   8 

155.  Vulgar  and  Profane  Language,   4 

156.  Remarkable  Conversion  of  J  ohn  Ross,   8 

157.  Zulu,  the  Greek  Chieftain,   4 

158.  The  Remedy  for  Intemperance,   4 

159.  Kindness  and  Gentleness   4 

160.  The  Divine  Pilot,   4 

161.  The  Fruits  of  the  Spirit   2 

162.  The  Prisoner  Delivered  from  the  Bondage  of  Sin,   8 

163.  On  Dancing   8 

164.  Advice  to  School  Children,....   2 

165.  Divine  Guidance  Needful^or  Entering  into  and  Conducting 

Business.    By  William  Evans,   4 

166.  Brief  Account  of  Sarah  S.  Cole,  of  Salem,  New  Jersey,   4 

167!    Our  Unconscious  Influence,   4 

168.  Thoughts  for  Decoration  Dav,   4 

169.  The  Effects  of  Worldly-Mindedness  Exemplified,   2 

170.  Elizabeth,  a  Colored   Minister  of  the   Gospel,  Born  in 

Slavery,   16 

171.  Instances  of  Women's  Preaching,  from  the  Apostles'  Days  to 

the  Present  Time,   16 

172.  Short  Account  of  Springett  Penn.    Written  by  his  Father, 

William  Penn,   8 

173.  War  on  Christian  Principles   4 

174.  The  Work  of  Religion  in  the  Heart  of  a  Little  Child,   2 

175.  The  Power  of  Truth,   4 

176.  Foreordi  nation,   */..   4 

177.  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  David  Sands,  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel 

in  the  Society  of  Friends,   12 


No.  97. 


MEMOIR 

OF 

John  Stick lvxd. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OP  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Ae.ch  Street. 

1888. 


MEMOIR 

OP 

JOHN  STICKLAND. 


True  religion  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  soul. 
It  does  not  consist  in  a  subscription  to  creeds  or  confessions  of 
faith,  or  in  any  outward  observances,  however  good  in  them- 
selves; but  in  the  dedication  of  the  heart  to  God,  and  the 
entire  surrender  of  the  will  and  affections  to  his  government. 

John  Stickland  was  born  near  Worth,  in  Dorsetshire,  En£- 
land,  in  the  Twelfth  Month,  1753.  His  life,  though  passed  in 
an  humble  occupation,  and  with  few  stirring  incidents,  presents 
another  testimony  to  the  power  of  Divine  Grace  to  preserve 
from  evil,  amid  great  temptations  and  under  many  disadvan- 
tages, and  also  to  instruct  in  the  knowledge  of  those  things 
which  belong  to  the  salvation  of  the  soul. 

He  was  brought  up  in  the  profession  of  the  Episcopal  society, 
and  attended  their  place  of  worship  near  where  he  lived.  But 
falling  into  the  company  of  wicked  boys,  he  gradually  became 
much  corrupted,  and  took  liberty  in  singing  songs  and  other 
idle  pastimes.  The  good  Spirit  of  God,  however,  did  not  fail 
to  wTarn  him  of  his  evil  practices,  and  reprove  him  for  them. 
About  his  fourteenth  year  he  was  more  powerfully  visited,  and, 
being  awakened  to  a  sense  of  his  sinful  condition,  he  sought, 
even  with  tears,  for  a  state  of  redemption.  Still,  however,  the 
force  of  temptation  again  overcame  him,  and  he  fell  back  into 
his  former  practices.  When  about  eighteen,  he  was  again 
awakened  and  alarmed  under  a  sense  of  his  sins,  but  no  effectual 
change  seems  to  have  been  wrought  in  him.    He  sought  to  fly 


MEMOIR  OF  JOHN  STICK  LAND. 


from  conviction,  and  to  drown  his  sorrow,  by  frequenting  the 
company  of  young  persons,  and  indulging  in  music  and  dancing, 
and  went  farther  in  folly  than  he  had  before  done.  But  he 
could  not  stifle  the  pure  Witness  in  his  conscience.  His  con- 
victions grew  deeper  and  more  poignant,  until  he  became  hate- 
ful in  his  own  eyes,  and  feared  lest  the  earth  should  open  and 
swallow  him  up,  as  he  had  read  it  did  some  wicked  men  in 
ancient  days. 

About  this  time  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  visit  him  with  a 
fever,  which  brought  him,  apparently,  to  the  borders  of  the 
grave.  In  this  reduced  state,  the  Hoiy  Spirit  again  opened 
his  condition  to  him,  and  he  was  awfully  affected  at  the  sight 
of  it.  For  some  time  he  seemed  destitute  of  all  hope  of  salva- 
tion ;  but  at  length  he  experienced  a  state  of  contrition,  in 
which  his  heart  was  broken,  and  his  spiritual  eye  opened  to 
look,  in  a  degree  of  faith,  upon  Christ  Jesus  as  the  Saviour  of 
sinners,  who  could  not  only  forgive  his  past  transgressions,  but 
make  him  holy  in  heart  and  life. 

Speaking,  in  after  life,  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  his 
heart,  he  says,  "  I  am  a  witness  of  the  grace  of  God.  I  was 
one  of  the  most  vain  and  wicked,  and  lived  among  the  wicked. 
I  saw  myself  going  to  destruction.  I  felt  my  sins  a  heavy 
burden.  I  cried  our,  '  Mercy  !  mercy  !  O  what  shall  I  do  to  ' 
be  saved?'  I  was  led  to  Jesus  Christ  for  redemption  through 
his  blood.  I  obtained  pardon,  and  went  on  my  way  rejoicing. 
His  free  grace  made  me  to  differ  from  my  neighbors.  But  T 
do  not  infer  from  hence  that  he  has  done  nothing  for  them,  or 
not  enough  to  save  them.  This  will  condemn  them,  if  they 
reject  his  Light." 

He  now  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  be  very  circumspect  in  all 
his  conduct  and  conversation  ;  and  the  preacher  in  the  parish 
where  he  lived,  being  an  irreligious  man,  he  left  him  and  went 
to  a  dissenting  meeting.  These  things  drew  upon  him  the 
censure  of  his  relations  and  neighbors.    He  says,  "After  I 


4 


MEMOIR  OF 


was  awakened,  when  I  went  to  church  and  saw  the  irreverence, 
and  heard  the  superficial  sermons  of  our  parish  minister,  my 
heart  was  filled  with  grief,  so  that  I  thought  I  could  suffer  the 
cutting  off  of  my  arm,  to  open  the  eyes  of  one  of  them,  if  that 
would  do  it.  But,  alas !  I  found  them,  even  my  own  relations, 
like  a  fox  in  a  trap,  which  will  bite  you,  if  you  attempt  to 
liberate  him,  thinking  you  are  an  enemy.  Instead  of  attending 
to  my  admonitions,  they  said  I  was  beside  myself ;  that  I  wor- 
shipped the  moon  and  stars,  and  prayed  to  hayricks  and  trees, 
because  I  went  out  to  meditate  in  the  fields,  and  in  summer 
evenings  walked  in  private  places  to  read  my  Bible.  When  I 
went  to  church  I  was  noticed  for  my  devotion,  and  the  min- 
ister said  I  was  not  now  like  any  one  of  his  people,  and  he 
thought  the  devil  was  in  me,  and  that  I  should  become  an 
enthusiast." 

In  a  manuscript  account  which  he  left,  of  some  incidents  of 
his  life,  he  says,  "  When  my  father  left  East  Holme,  I  was 
retained  by  my  master  on  the  farm,  and  soon  became  a  servant 
in  the  house.  At  this  time  he  had  taken  a  housekeeper,  who 
had  lived  with  the  late  clergyman  of  Win  frith  in  a  very  un- 
christian manner.  She,  with  my  master's  footman  and  house- 
maid, were  living  in  a  very  loose  and  extravagant  manner, 
drinking,  gambling,  &c,  which  I  took  the  liberty  to  reprove 
and  counteract,  as  I  had  begun  to  seek  the  favor  of  God,  and 
live  up  to  my  profession.  But  my  conduct  was  highly  dis- 
pleasing to  [the  housekeeper,]  because  I  could  not  drink, 
dance,  and  play  cards  with  them.  On  one  occasion  she  said 
to  me  'Thou  hast  no  taste  for  a  game  of  cards,  or  a  dance,  or 
a  merry  song,  or  jest,  but  the  Bible- the  Bible— is  all  with  thee. 
I  would  not  that  thou  shouldst  visit  me  on  a  deathbed  for  all 
the  world,  for  fear  I  should  die  in  despair.'  '  But,'  ^aid  I,  '  if 
reading  my  Bible  gives  me  as  much  pleasure  as  your  cards 
give  you,  I  am  not  behindhand  with  you,  even  in  this  life ;  and 
I  am  certain  it  will  give  me  more  comfort  on  a  death-bed,  to 


JOHN  STICKLAND. 


5 


reflect  on  reading  the  Bible,  than  it  will  give  you  to  remember 
your  waste  of  time  in  cards.'  '  I  think  that  too,'  said  she, '  and 
then  I  shall  be  on  the  wrong  side.  But  how  is  it  that  I  can 
sing  songs,  dance,  and  play  cards,  and  yet  go  to  church  on 
Sundays,  and  all  is  well  with  me,  and  I  can  enjoy  myself  and 
be  happy.  But  I  have  observed  that  if  thou  dost  only  join 
with  us  to  laugh  and  jest  a,  little,  I  see  in  thee  afterwards  a  look 
of  grief  and  a  shyness  of  our  company.  I  see  no  harm  in  a 
merry  jest.'  '  No,'  said  I,  'your  mind  is  like  a  dark  room. 
The  window  is  closed — you  cannot  see  what  is  in  your  heart. 
But  the  curtain  is  drawn,  in  a  degree,  from  my  window,  and  I 
can  see  the  evil  of  sin,  and  what  is  sin  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord, 
so  as  to  hate  and  avoid  it,  or  else  to  become  a  miserable 
soul.'" 

Finding  both  his  precepts  and  example  to  be  a  constant  tes- 
timony against  their  wickedness,  and  an  obstacle  to  the  license 
which  they  desired;  the  other  servants,  and  especially  the 
housekeeper,  endeavored  to  prejudice  his  master  against  him, 
and  get  him  turned  away.  His  absenting  himself  from  the 
national  worship,  to  which  his  master  was  attached,  was  used 
as  one  means  for  this  purpose. 

On  this  subject  he  remarks: 

"  The  housekeeper  stirred  up  my  master  against  me  because 
I  could  not  go  to  church.  Once  in  two  weeks  I  went  to  Corfe 
Castle,  by  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  to  hear  a  Methodist 
preacher,  and  thence  to  Wareham.  My  master  called  for  me, 
and  threatened  to  discharge  me,  if  I  would  not  go  to  church, 
and  asked  me  why  it  was"?  I  told  him  the  church  minister 
was  a  wicked  man,  and  his  doctrine  very  superficial  and  false 
in  its  application,  and  therefore  I  could  not  hear  him.  <  Then,' 
said  he,  '  we  must  part ;  there  are  your  wages.'  I  answered, 
'  My  soul  is  of  more  value  to  me  than  all  you  have  in  the 
world  is  to  you  ;  nor  will  I  sell  it  for  money,  nor  suffer  your 
blind  teacher  to  lead  me  to  destruction.   Liberty  of  conscience 


6 


MEMOIR  OF 


is  my  birthright,  and  I  will  not  sell  it  for  the  world.'  So  I 
took  up  my  money,  and,  with  my  best  wishes  for  his  salvation, 
left  the  room.  Soon  after  he  called  for  me  again,  and  said, 
'  You  shall  have  your  birthright,  if  you  will  stay  with  me  ;  and 
I  will  give  you  more  wages,  and  you  shall  go  where  you  wish 
to  a  place  of  worship.  Will  you  stay  with  me?'  '  Yes,'  said  I, 
'  on  such  terms,  except  a  rise  of  wages.  Let  that  be  as  you 
please.  I  do  not  ask  it.'  '  I  will  make  my  observations  on 
you  and  on  your  enemies,  to  see  who  behave  most  properly.' 
So  I  went  on  in  my  duty  to  my  God,  and  to  my  master,  and 
to  my  aged  and  afflicted  mother ;  my  soul  prospered,  and  I 
enjoyed  good  health. 

"The  housekeeper  continued  to  speak  against  me  to  my 
master,  and  told  many  false  things,  but  I  never  spoke  against 
them  to  him,  but  reproved  them  to  their  faces,  going  on  in  my 
duty  to  him  and  to  the  Lord.  I  was  as  a  Mordecai  in  the 
gate.  It  came  to  pass,  however,  that  their  conduct  became 
known  to  him,  and  it  fell  upon  their  own  heads,  as  Avas  the 
case  with  Haman.  The  Lord  prospered  my  undertaking  on 
the  farm.  I  took  care  of  the  young  cattle.  As  I  was  feeding 
the  calves  at  the  end  of  a  field,  I  saw  my  master  coming  to  me 
in  great  haste,  and  looking  angry.  When  he  came  near  me, 
he  said,  in  a  loud  voice, '  John,  I  have  found  out  your  enemies. 
They  fear  not  God,  nor  care  for  my  interest.  I  will  discharge 
them  all,  and  you  shall  be  over  all  my  business,  for  you  only 

have  I  found  faithful.    Old  S         [the  housekeeper]  has  been 

making  a  gallows  for  you  these  three  years,  and  now  she  shall 
be  hanged  on  it  herself.  I  will  go  home  and  give  them  all 
notice  to  go,  then  I  will  come  to  you  again.' " 

Soon  after  this,  he  saw  his  master  coming  to  him  again,  who 
said  to  him,  "I  now  give  you  the  choice  of  two  things:  one  is 
to  look  after  my  farm  and  pay  my  people,  with  a  rise  in  your 
wTages;  or,  secondly,  to  attend  on  me  and  keep  accounts,  both 


JOHN  STICKLAND. 


7 


within  and  without,  and  I  will  satisfy  you  for  your  services. 
Let  me  know  in  two  weeks.  * 

"When  I  do  not  ride  my  horse  on  Sunday,  you  take  it  out 
of  the  stable,  and  ride  it  to  Wareham  [to  meeting].  I  will 
give  you  this  coat  from  my  hack,  which  is  almost  new,  and 
will  make  you  a  fine  Sunday  dress." 

The  servants  who  had  been  plotting  to  effect  John's  ruin, 
were  soon  discharged,  and  he  became  the  waiter  and  accoun- 
tant of  his  employer,  conducting  himself  with  such  strict  pro- 
priety and  uprightness  as  to  obtain  a  large  place  in  his  affection 
and  confidence.  Having  neither  wife  nor  child  to  be  his  com- 
panion, he  conversed  the  more  freely  with  John,  who  had  thus 
opportunities  of  conveying  religious  views  to  his  mind,  and, 
there  is  reason  to  believe,  was  made  useful  to  him. 

Another  enemy,  however,  sprung  up  in  a  gardener,  who  was 
sometimes  employed  on  the  premises,  and,  being  in  the  filthy 
habit  of  smoking  tobacco,  used  to  call  for  frequent  draughts  of 
strong  beer  with  his  pipes.  This,  John  refused  to  give  him, 
when  the  keys  came  into  his  hands,  because  it  was  his  master's 
property.  Offended  at  his  refusal,  he  sought  to  prejudice  his 
master  against  John  ;  but  his  efforts  turned  to  his  own  disad- 
vantage, and  he  was  himself  discharged  from  the  premises. 

Keeping  a  single  eye  to  his  inward  Guide,  John  prospered 
in  his  undertakings,  and  found  favor  with  his  employer. 

In  his  diary,  John  Stickland  says  : 

"  At  Bath  I  became  acquainted  with  a  poor  man,  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends.  He  said  to  me,  I  compare  the 
relating  of  religious  experience,  too  freely,  to  a  bottle  in  which 
is  a  precious  perfume.  If  the  cork  be  drawn  often,  the  scent 
will  evaporate,  and  the  sweet  savor  be  lost." 

At  the  expiration  of  nearly  fourteen  years,  in  Second  Month, 
1789,  his  master  was  affected  with  paralysis,  and  on  John's 
going  to  him,  remarked,  "  I  am  soon  to  leave  this  world,  of 
which  I  know  little,  and  am  going  to  the  world  of  which  I 


8 


MEMOIR  OF 


know  nothing;  for  which  change  I  am  unprepared.  I  am 
sorry  that  I  ever  discouraged  you  in  religion.  I  now  see  there 
is  no  such  thing  as  happy  living  or  dying  without  true  religion 
— I  say  true  religion." 

"  As  my  master  drew  near  his  end,  he  became  more  and 
more  attached  to  me.  He  was  deeply  convinced  of  his  fallen 
state.  I  feel  happy  in  reflecting  on  my  conduct  towards  him. 
There  is  indeed  no  real  happiness,  except  we  are  in  Christ,  and 
live  to  him,  and  not  to  ourselves.  Reader !  may  you  so  live 
as  to  die  in  the  Lord,  and  be  forever  happy  in  his  presence. 
After  his  interment,  and  all  charges  paid,  I  gave  up  to  my  new 
master  the  book  and  balance  of  all  accounts,  and  had  the 
blessing  of  a  good  conscience.  He  then  committed  [the  farm] 
East  Holme,  and  all  the  j)eople  and  stock  into  my  hands,  and 
I  became  his  bailiff,  and  had  the  care  of  it  for  about  fourteen 
years  after.  He  came  there  only  occasionally,  for  a  few  weeks 
at  a  time." 

The  book  of  expenses,  above  alluded  to,  was  placed  in  the 
hands  of  an  attorney  to  copy.  This  man  had  drawn  the  will 
of  John  Stickland's  former  master,  and  persuaded  him  to  let 
thv,  farm  and  make  him  (the  attorney)  the  steward  for  it ;  but 
after  the  will  was  executed,  he  became  so  uneasy,  that  he  had 
the  attorney  called,  and  altered  it  so  as  to  provide  for  J.  S.,  as 
has  already  been  stated.  This  circumstance  irritated  the  mind 
of  the  attorney,  who  sought  occasion  against  him,  as  will  be 
seen  by  the  following  narrative. 

"  When  the  parliament  ended  that  year,  J.  Bond  came  to 
Holme,  and  informed  me  of  a  deficit  in  my  accounts ;  saying 
he  had  taken  the  book  to  his  chamber,  and  had  searched  it 
with  great  care  and  diligence  for  two  weeks,  and  found  that 
more  than  £100  were  missing,  and  that  his  brother,  my  master, 
had  likewise  examined  and  found  it  so.  Yet,  said  he,  we  do 
not  really  suspect  you  of  swindling.  I  said,  'If  there  be  a 
fraud,  I  am  the  man  [who  have  committed  it],  for  I  took  and 


JOHN  STICK I,AND. 


9 


paid  all,  without  the  help  of  any  other  person,  and  I  have  a 
good  conscience.'  He  said, '  my  brother  will  come  soon,  when 
the  circuit  ends ;  ask  him  for  the  book,  and  examine  it  for 
yourself.'  This  report  raised  fears  and  perturbation  of  mind, 
and  I  cried  unto  the  Lord  for  wisdom  and  direction  how  to 
find  out  the  embezzlement ;  for  I  could  appeal  to  him  for  my 
innocence  in  the  affair.'' 

"  In  a  few  weeks  my  master  came,  and  I  asked  him  for  the 
book,  which  he  kindly  gave  into  my  hand.  I  took  it  aside  to 
trace  the  copy,  and  found  it  right.  I  then  cast  up  the  columns, 
and  found  them  correct.  Then  I  feared  and  cried  in  my  heart, 
Lord  !  What  shall  I  do  ?  The  Red  Sea  is  before  me,  and  the 
Egyptians  behind  me.  I  then  felt  a  strong  impression  of  mind, 
as  though  a  voice  said  audibly,  Oarry  over — carry  over.  I 
began  at  once  to  carry  over  the  columns,  and  soon  found  one 
that  was  four  hundred  pounds,  but  the  attorney  had  carried 
over  only  three.  Then  I  proceeded  to  carry  over  the  other 
sums,  and  found  another  where  £14  12s.  ~\d.  were  left  back. 
I  went  to  my  ma-ter  and  said,  '  I  have  found  it  out.'  1  You 
have  not — you  cannot,'  said  he.  I  replied,  '  I  have.'  '  I  can- 
not give  you  credit  for  it,'  said  he.  1  Please  to  see  ;  here  are 
£400,  and  the  attorney  has  carried  only  £300.'  '  Ah  !  so  it  is.' 
he  said.  'See  again:  here  are  £14  12*.  7 Id.  left  out  of  the 
sum  carried  over.'  1  So  it  is,'  said  master,  '  and  you  are  wiser 
than  all  of  us.  Here  are  five  guineas  for  you,  and  I  will  never 
mistrust  you  as  long  as  I  live.'  Soon  after,  my  master's  sister- 
came  to  see  him,  and  when  they  saw  me,  said,  1  We  wish  vou 
joy;  you  have  sustained  your  character.'  In  like  manner 
every  one  of  the  worthy  family  addressed  me,  at  the  first  inter- 
view after  my  innocence  was  proved. 

"  But  what  was  yet  more  gratifying,  was  a  letter  my  master 
sent  me  from  London,  to  say  he  Mas  not  coming  into  the 
country  at  this  season,  and  that  I  was  to  receive  his  rents,  and 
if  I  wanted  money  on  the  farm  account,  I  wa«  to  keep  it,  and 


10 


MEMOIR  OF 


send  him  only  what  I  could  spare.  He  also  stated  that  the 
attorney  was  indebted  to  him  such  a  sum,  and  I  was  to  call 
upon  him  for  it.  I  carried  the  letter  to  show  the  aforesaid 
attorney  my  authority,  at  the  sight  of  which  he  was  greatly 
agitated,  and  paid  me  the  money.  '  You  thought,  I  suppose,' 
said  I,  '  to  hang  or  transport  me  for  cheating  my  master.  But 
you  did  not  know  that  I  had  a  Counsellor  to  teach  me,  wiser 
than  all  the  attorneys  in  the  world.'  At  this  he  muttered 
something,  and  I  came  away,  singing  in  my  heart,  the  song  of 
Moses: — '  The  enemy  said,  I  will  pursue ;  I  will  overtake;  I 
will  divide  the  spoil ;  my  hand  shall  destroy  them !  Thou 
didst  blow  with  thy  wind ;  the  sea  covered  them — they  sank 
as  lead  in  the  mighty  waters.  Who  is  like  unto  thee,  O  Lord ; 
among  the  gods,  who  is  like  unto  thee?" 

"  My  master,  by  his  abilities  and  talents,  became  a  great 
man.  I  lived  under  him  thirty-three  years  in  all  good  con- 
science. For  a  few  years  before  his  death  he  suffered  much, 
and  declined  by  slow  degrees.  I  cannot  recollect  a  word  or 
action  that  will  plant  a  thorn  in  my  dying  pillow  respecting 
him.  For  his  salvation,  I  sent  up  my  cries  to  God,  especially 
when  near  his  end." 

During  the  early  religious  exercise  of  John  Stickland,  and 
before  he  had  attained  to  an  abiding  sense  of  Divine  counsel 
and  favor,  a  person  placed  in  his  hands  a  popish  book,  the 
reading  of  which  brought  him  into  much  conflict  and  distress. 
His  mind  was  greatly  agitated  with  doubts  and  difficulties 
which  he  found  himself  unable  to  resolve.  But  as  he  honestly 
endeavored  to  seek  for  a  knowledge  of  the  Truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus,  He  who  teaches  as  never  man  taught,  was  pleased  to 
open  his  understanding,  and  enable  him  to  see  clearly  into  the 
errors  of  that  dark  delusion.  The  exercises  he  had  passed 
through  on  these  subjects  prepared  him  to  be  useful  to  others 
in  after  life,  an  instance  of  which  is  as  follows : 


JOHN  STICK  LAND. 


11 


About  the  24th  year  of  his  age,  he  accompanied  his  first 
master,  Nathaniel  Bond,  to  a  meeting  of  custom-house  and 
excise  officers  at  West  Lulworth.  At  the  inn  where  they 
quartered  he  saw  some  tracts  in  favor  of  poj^ery,  which  the 
landlady  told  him  belonged  to  a  person  who  lodged  there,  and 
was  eagerly  endeavoring  to  propagate  his  opinions  among  the 
neighbors.  "  We  are  all  such  fools  here,"  said  she,  "  that  we 
cannot  answer  him,  but  I  think  you  could,  and  I  hope  you 
will.  He'll  be  in  by  and  by,  and  will  be  sure  to  have  some- 
thing to  say  to  you." 

This  brought  J.  S.  under  deep  concern.  He  retired  to  a 
solitary  place  among  the  rocks  near  the  cove,  where  he  earnestly 
sought  the  Lord,  and  asked  counsel  of  Him  who  has  promised 
both  wisdom  and  utterance  to  his  dependent  children  in  every 
time  of  need.  "  I  felt  myself,"  said  he,  "  but  a  youth  and  a 
stripling,  unaccustomed  to  war,  while  this  priest  appeared  as 
Goliath.  At  length  I  felt  assured  that  the  God  of  Israel,  in 
whom  alone  I  trusted,  would  be  with  me  to  teach  me  what  to 
say."  On  his  return  to  the  inn,  he  found  the  priest  in  com- 
pany wTith  several  of  the  officers,  and  he  soon  challenged  J.  S. 
to  dispute  with  him  relative  to  the  popish  and  protestant  faith. 
J.  S.  proposed  that  they  should  have  their  conversation  in 
some  more  private  and  quiet  place ;  but  the  priest  said,  "  No 
place  is  more  suitable  than  this,  that  all  the  company  may 
hear  the  arguments  on  both  sides." 

The  persons  present  seemed  deeply  interested  in  the  discus- 
sion ;  and,  by  keeping  watchful  and  attentive  to  the  openings 
of  Truth,  John  was  enabled  to  answer  the  priest  in  a  satis- 
factory manner.  About  the  middle  of  the  conversation,  one 
of  the  officers  arose  and  said :  "  I  wTish  I  was  not  obliged  to 
leave — but  must  beg  to  offer  one  remark,  which  is,  that  our 
friend  Stickland  has  both  reason  and  Scripture  on  his  side ; 
but  as  for  you,  (turning  to  the  priest),  you  have  neither." 
Chagrined  at  this  unlooked-for  address,  the  priest  seemed 


12 


MEMOIR  OF 


troubled,  and,  before  the  close  of  the  debate,  was  quite  con- 
founded. The  landlady  told  afterward,  that  from  that  day, 
the  priest  left  off  trying  to  persuade  people  into  popery  ;  and 
never  held  up  his  head  again  while  amongst  them,  saying,  lie 
was  tired  of  his  religion,  which,  in  a  little  while  he  entirely 
renounced. 

In  his  thirty-sixth  year,  John  Stickland  was  'married  to 
Elizabeth  Gwyer,  a  native  of  Downton  in  Wilts.  In  partner- 
ship with  Hannah  Beauchamp,  she  had  previously  entered 
into  the  drapery  and  grocery  business,  at  Wareham.  Though 
he  embarked  in  this  business,  he  still  retained  his  situation  on 
the  farm  at  East  Holme,  going  and  returning  daily.  His  pros- 
pects of  domestic  happiness,  in  his  humble  sphere  of  life,  were 
bright,  but  it  pleased  his  heavenly  Father  soon  to  cloud  them, 
for  in  about  eleven  months  his  wife  was  taken  from  him. 

Deeply  as  he  was  stricken  by  this  unexpected  bereavement, 
he  was  afterwards  prepared  to  acknowledge  the  wisdom  and 
mercy  of  the  dispensation,  saying,  "  I  loved  her  too  well;  there- 
fore the  Lord  took  her  from  me."  The  flail  that  strikes  hard 
separates  the  wheat  from  the  chaff. 

In  1792,  John  Stickland  was  married  to  Hannah  Beau- 
champ,  and  they  united  in  endeavoring  to  seek  first  the  king- 
dom of  heaven.  They  had  five  children,  whom  they  were 
concerned  to  train  up  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  John  had  long 
seen  the  inconsistency  of  wearing  gay  and  fashionable  attire, 
with  the  simplicity  of  true  religion  ;  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
labored  to  instil  into  the  minds  cf  their  children  the  duty  of 
self-denial  in  this  respect,  adopting  for  them,  upon  principle,  a 
plain  and  simple  dress.  J.  Wesley  remarks :  "  You  who  are 
fond  of  dress,  know  in  your  hearts,  that  it  is  witli  a  view  to  be 
admired  that  you  thus  adorn  yourselves,  and  that  you  would 
not  be  at  the  pains,  were  there  none  to  see  you  but  God  and 
his  holy  angels.  O  stop,  then  !  aim  at  pleasing  God  alone, 
and  all  these  ornaments  will  soon  drop  off/' 

No  less  concerned  was  J.  S.  to  watch  against  other  things, 
the  tendency  of  which  is  to  inspire  pride  and  vanity.  On 
sending  one  of  his  daughters  to  school,  he  charged  the  governess 


JOHN  STICKLAND. 


13 


never  to  call  her  Miss,  observing,  "  Pride  comes  fast  enough 
without  that." 

About  the  year  1794,  he  believed  that  his  Divine  Master 
called  him  to  engage  in  the  solemn  work  of  the  ministry  of 
the  Gospel.  This  brought  him  into  much  exercise  of  soul, 
under  a  sense  of  his  own  weakness,  and  the  awfulness  of  the 
engagement.  He  was  not  hasty  to  enter  upon  it,  but  rather 
disposed  to  put  it  by.  He  had  providentially  been  brought 
into  an  acquaintance  with  Richard  C.  Brackenbury,  a  person 
of  considerable  estate,  who  having  received,  as  he  believed,  a 
gift  in  the  ministry,  thought  it  right  to  leave  all  and  travel 
from  place  to  place,  without  any  view  to  outward  gain,  to 
preach  Christ  to  the  people. 

This  man,  without  any  outward  information  of  what  was 
passing  in  J.  S.'s  mind,  was  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the 
Lord  was  calling  him  into  the  gospel  vineyard,  and  being  led 
to  his  house,  and  brought  into  much  feeling  with  him,  com- 
municated his  impressions.  Some  time  after,  R.  C.  B.  was  at 
Poole,  and  J.  S.  had  a  great  desire  to  see  him,  as  he  had  been 
an  instrument  of  good  to  his  soul ;  but  he  feared  to  meet  him, 
lest  he  should  again  speak  to  him  about  his  call  to  the  min- 
istry, from  which  he  greatly  shrunk,  and  seemed  as  if  he  could 
not  be  obedient.  He  however  went,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
morning  meeting,  R.  C.  B.  gave  notice  that  a  friend  from  the 
country  would  hold  a  meeting  there  that  afternoon.  They 
dined  together,  and  in  the  course  of  conversation  John  asked 
who  the  friend  was  that  was  to  hold  the  meeting  in  the  after- 
noon. "You"  said  the  other;  "I  knew  you  were  coming  be- 
fore I  saw  you."  As  this  was  not  known  to  him  by  any  out- 
ward information,  it  struck  J.  S.  with  so  much  force,  that  he 
turned  pale  and  could  eat  no  more.  Seeing  his  conflict  of 
mind,  Richard  said  to  him,  "  Go  into  my  chamber  and  there 
tell  thy  great  Master  what  his  servant  Brackenbury  has  said  to 
you  ;  and  if  he  says  you  are  not  to  go  this  afternoon,  don't 
go"  J.  S.  retired  accordingly,  to  wait  on  the  great  Head  of 
the  Church,  to  know  his  will ;  and,  after  a  season  of  sweet, 
silent  contrition  of  heart,  in  which  he  poured  forth  many  tears, 


14 


MEMOIR  OF 


he  felt  it  his  duty  to  go.  On  his  way  to  the  meeting-house, 
these  words  were  powerfully  spoken  in  his  mental  ear,  Be  not 
afraid  of  their  faces,  lest  I  confound  thee  before  them.  After 
entering  it,  he  says,  "All  fear  of  man  was  taken  from  me,  and 
the  people  appeared  to  me  no  more  than  grasshoppers." 
These  words  also  were  brought  to  his  remembrance,  "  Behold, 
I  have  made  thee  this  day  a  defenced  city,  and  an  iron  pillar 
and  brazen  walls."  Speaking,  in  another  place,  of  going  to 
this  meeting,  he  says,  it  "  was  with  much  previous  trembling 
and  fear  of  man,  until  the  Lord  delivered  me  from  it,  and  then 
I  was  bold  in  spirit." 

About  this  time  he  wrote  these  lines  in  his  pocket  Bible  : 

"  How  ready  is  the  man  to  go, 

Whom  God  hath  never  sent ; 
How  timorous,  diffident  and  slow, 

His  chosen  instrument. 
Lord  !  if  from  thee  this  mark  I  have 

Of  a  true  messenger ; 
By  whom  thou  wilt  thy  people  save 

And  let  me  always  fear." 

A  professed  minister  one  day  said  to  J.  S.,  "  Some  people 
say  they  find  it  difficult  to  preach  or  pray;  for  my  part,  I  find 
no  difficulty  in  it,  but  can  pray  or  preach  at  any  time."  He 
mentioned  this  to  his  friend  Brackenbury,  who  replied,  "  Were 
such  my  experience,  I  should  call  my  whole  state  in  question." 

John  Stickland  having  engaged  in  the  important  work  of 
the  ministry,  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  trace  some  of  his 
views  on  the  subject.  He  says,  "Christ  is  the  Head  of  the 
Church,  which  is  his  body.  He  therefore  has  the  sole  prerog- 
ative, or  right  and  power  to  call  and  send  whom  He  pleases  to 
qualify  for  his  work.  He  calls  godly  men  by  his  Spirit  and 
by  his  people  to  be  bishops  and  deacons  in  his  church.  I 
think  such  are  sometimes  called  elders,  and  I  read  of  no  other 
officers  appointed  by  Him.  As  God  is  a  Holy  Spirit,  He  re- 
quires us  to  worship  Him  with  our  spirits,  taught  and  assisted 
by  his  own  Spirit,  whether  with  or  without  words.    But  words 


JOHN  STICKLAND. 


15 


can  never  please  God,  except  when  they  are  the  language  of 
the  heart,  therefore  wicked  men  can  never  worship  Him  accept- 
ably. And  pious  men,  I  think,  are  in  danger  of  falling  into 
lip  service  and  bodily  exercise,  which  profit  nothing,  but  may 
deceive  the  unguarded  soul." 

•'True  Gospel  ministry  may  not  inaptly  be  represented  as  a 
coin  of  pure  gold  from  the  heavenly  treasury,  of  great  value, 
having  on  one  side  the  memorable  words  of  our  blessed  Lord, 
Without  me  ye  can  do  nothing;  and  on  the  other,  Jonah's  com- 
mission, Preach  thd preaching  that  Ibid  thee. 

"I  think  I  have  never  read  in  the  Bible  of  any  person  who 
read  his  prayers.  I  believe  Jacob  did  not.  Neither  did  Abra- 
ham's servant,  for  he  spake  to  God  in  his  heart:  nor  did  Han- 
nah in  the  temple,  for  she  also  spake  in  her  heart,  The  pub- 
lican said,  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner;  and  the  poor 
woman  only  said,  Lord  help  me.  None  of  these  had  a  book 
to  pray  from,  yet  God  heard  and  answered  them.  The  Lord's 
prayer  is  very  short  but  comprehensive.  I  read  of  some  who 
made  long  prayers  and  received  the  greater  condemnation  on 
that  account.  I  remember,  when  my  eyes  were  opened  to  see 
that  I  was  in  the  high  road  to  destruction,  nothing  troubled 
me  more  than  my  mocking  the  Almighty  at  church,  saying 
about  twenty  times  in  one  service,  'Lord  have  mercy  upon  us' 
— 'Christ  have  mercy  on  us' — 'We  beseech  thee  hear  us, 
good  Lord,'  &c. 

"I  would  be  careful,  too,  not  to  take  his  name  in  vain,  by 
too  frecpient  mention  of  it.  I  have  felt  quite  shocked,  under 
some  people's  prayers,  by  their  boldness  and  vain  repetition 
of  the  Divine  name. 

"Christ  is  wise  enough  to  be  our  Teacher,  and  He  has  prom- 
ised to  be  with  his  people  to  the  end  of  the  world.  Why  then 
should  we  not  trust  Him?  L'nbelief  is  the  root  of  formality  in 
worship,  deadness  in  preaching,  and  dulness  in  hearing.  Yea, 
it  opens  the  heart  to  error.  For  as  without  faith  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  please  God  in  our  conduct,  how  much  more  in  our  wor- 
ship." 

On  one  occasion,  and  one  only,  "wishing  to  be  more  me- 


16 


MEMOIR  OF 


thodical  in  his  sermon,"  he  studied  it  beforehand;  but  when 
he  went  to  deliver  it,  he  says  he  felt  like  David  in  Saul's  ar- 
mor, and  prayed  to  be  forgiven  for  the  attempt,  and  he  would 
never  do  so  again.  Attending  a  Friends'  meeting  at  Poole, 
the  silence  was  broken  by  a  woman  who  repeated  only  a  short 
passage  of  Scripture.  The  strength  and  light  imparted  to  his 
mind  were  such  that  he  often  afterward  referred  to  this  pre- 
cious opportunity  as  a  proof  that  a  few  words,  with  life  accom- 
panying, are  more  profitable  than  a  long  discourse  without  it, 
and  also  that  the  ministry  of  women  may  tend  greatly  to  es- 
tablish the  soul. 

In  vindicating  and  encouraging  the  ministry  of  women,  he 
stood  much  alone  in  his  neighborhood ;  few,  if  any,  of  the 
preachers  agreeing  with  him.  He  relates  the  following  anec- 
dote: "I  was  conversing  with  a  dissenting  minister  on  the 
ministry  of  women,  when  he  told  me  that,  some  time  before, 
he  delivered  a  discourse  against  it,  from  the  passage,  'I  suffer 
not  a  woman  to  teach.'  When  the  family  were  called  to  din- 
ner that  day,  one  of  his  daughters  tarried  behind,  being  en- 
gagaged  in  reading  the  Bible.  I  asked  her  why  she  came  not? 
She  said,  "O,  father,  I  am  reading  something  so  pretty.'  What 
is  it?  said  I.  She  replied, ' Paul  went  into  Philip's  house,  and 
he  had  four  daughters  that  did  preach?  The  word  in  our  ver- 
sion is  'prophesied;'  but,  said  he,  I  looked  at  the  Greek,  and 
found  it  should  be  translated  preached.  I  felt  mortified  that 
my  own  little  child  should  pull  down  my  sermon  ;  but  I  per- 
ceived my  error,  and  hope  I  shall  never  speak  against  women 
preaching  any  more." 

Speaking  of  preaching,  a  Friend  asked  him  how  he  man- 
aged about  going  out  to  hold  meetings. 

"  I  consider  first  what  is  my  duty ; — next,  how  it  will  look  on 
my  dying  bed ; — and  then  I  trust  in  the  Lord  to  give  me  what 
to  say." 

It  was  John's  maxim  to  return  good  for  evil.  If  he  was 
told,  Such  an  one  is  your  enemy,  his  reply  was,  Then  I'll  try 
and  do  him  some  good. 

Meeting  with  a  stranger  one  day,  whilst  riding  on  the  road, 


JOHN  STICK  LAND, 


17 


they  fell  into  conversation  on  the  planting  of  trees,  a  subject 
with  which  J.  S.  was  very  familiar.  Ever  watchful  to  mind 
the  pointings  of  duty,  he  felt  his  mind  drawn  to  refer  to  the 
beautiful  passage  in  Isaiah  lv.  13:  "Instead  of  the  thorn  shall 
come  up  the  fir  tree,  and  instead  of  the  briar  shall  come  up  the 
myrtle  tree,"  &c. ;  and  to  illustrate  the  two  states  it  represented, 
and  the  necessity  of  a  change  from  the  first,  or  fallen  nature, 
to  that  of  a  regenerated  Christian.  Some  time  after,  he  re- 
ceived, from  an  unknown  hand,  a  fine  myrtle  tree,  carefully 
packed,  which  he  set  out  in  a  favorite  spot  in  the  shrubbery 
at  East  Holme,  and  prized  highly.  From  whom  it  came  re- 
mained a  mystery,  till  one  day  he  received  a  message  from 
the  principal  inn  at  Wareham,  informing  that  a  person  there 
wished  to  speak  with  him.  The  stranger  asked  if  he  had  re- 
ceived a  myrtle.  "  Yes,"  replied  he,  "but  I  never  knew  whence 
it  came."  "I  sent  it,"  returned  the  other.  "Do  you  remem- 
ber seeing  me  on  the  road,  and  speaking  to  me  about  the  briar 
and  the  myrtle?  I  was  then  as  a  thorn  and  a  briar,  but  now, 
through  grace,  I  am  become  a  myrtle."  It  appeared  that  the 
communication  had  left  a  deep  and  lasting  impression  on  the 
mind  of  the  stranger,  and  produced  a  happy  effect. 

On  one  occasion,  when  John  Stickland  was  preaching  at 
Portland,  he  felt  a  stop  to  that  Divine  liberty  and  authority 
with  which  he  had  been  favored,  and  a  gentle  intimation  that 
it  was  the  proper  time  to  close.  But  the  idea  occurred,  "What 
will  the  people  think  of  my  ending  so  soon?"  He  was  induced 
to  go  on  longer,  and  when  the  meeting  closed,  a  woman  said 
to  him,  "If  you  had  left  off  about  the  middle  of  your  sermon, 
I  should  have  got  some  good — but  I  lost  in  the  last  part  all  I 
had  gained  in  the  first"  "Ah,"  said  John,  with  a  heavy  sigh, 
which  showed  that  his  conscience  was  already  smiting  him,  "if 
I  have  not  preached  to  you,  you  have  preached  to  me." 

The  following  circumstance  illustrates  the  benefit  of  silent 
Avaiting.  A  number  of  persons,  whose  minds  had  been  power- 
fully awakened,  during  what  is  called  a  revival  among  the 
Methodists,  found  themselves  much  drawn,  after  a  time,  into  a 
state  of  stillness  and  inward  waiting  on  God.    Finding  the 


18 


MEMOIR  OF 


comfort  and  benefit  of  this  exercise,  they  met  together  for  the 
purpose,  which  the  preacher  hearing  of,  he  began  to  be  appre- 
hensive that,  if  persisted  in,  it  would  lead  them  to  lay  aside 
activity  in  performances  professedly  religious.  He  advised 
them  against  it,  and  reasoned  the  point,  without  being  able  to 
convince  them ;  their  own  experience  being  more  than  a  full 
answer  to  all  his  arguments.  They  still  continued  their  silent 
meetings,  and  were  evidently  growing  in  the  root  of  religion, 
that  inward  life  which  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  Pained  at 
his  own  want  of  success  in  producing  a  change  in  their  views, 
and  hoping  to  accomplish  by  an  experiment  what  he  could  not 
by  words,  after  setting  forth  the  ridiculous  appearance  which 
he  thought  one  of  their  assemblies  would  present,  sitting  in 
perfect  stillness,  he  said,  in  substance,  "  Well,  come  now,  we 
will  hold  a  silent  meeting  in  the  chapel,  and  you'll  see  what 
will  come  of  it — what  a  dry,  dull  time  it  will  be.''  Accord- 
ingly, lit  the  next  meeting,  they  all  sat  in  silence;  there  was 
neither  hymn,  nor  sermon,  nor  prayer,  nor  benediction,  vocally 
uttered.  But  we  may  well  believe  that  those  spiritual  wor- 
shippers, whose  souls  had  oft  been  strengthened  and  refreshed 
in  silence,  did  not  sit  in  listless  indifference,  but  wrestled  in 
spirit  for  the  Divine  blessing  on  the  opportunity.  Nor  was  it 
withheld.  After  they  had  remained  some  time  together,  the 
Lord's  power  broke  in  upon  them  in  a  marvellous  manner, 
contriting  their  spirits,  and  bedewing  many  cheeks  with  tears. 
The  solemn  and  precious  feeling  spread  from  one  to  another, 
until  it  seemed  to  cover  the  whole  assembly  like  a  heavenly 
canopy;  and,  under  its  humbling  influence,  the  minister,  no 
longer  able  to  restrain  the  fulness  of  his  emotions,  broke  forth, 
with  tears,  in  these  memorable  words,  "  Surely  the  Lord  is  in 
this  thing,  and  I  knew  it  not."  With  this  exception,  the 
meeting  continued  to  its  close  in  silent  waiting,  and  separated 
under  a  deep  solemnity. 

In  the  Fifth  Month  of  the  year  1832,  his  second  wife  died, 
a  loss  which  he  deeply  felt ;  but  he  says,  "My  comforts  under 
this  trouble  are,  that  she  is  fallen  asleep  in  Christ,  and  my 
hope  soon  to  go  to  her,  and  to  have  our  part  with  the  meek 


joiin  stick  land. 


19 


followers  of  the  Lamb.  Full  of  concern  for  her  children's 
eternal  happiness,  she  followed  them  with  her  prayers  and 
tears  to  the  latest  hour." 

"  Her  death  was  almost  sudden.  She  was  very  cheerful  on 
the  evening  of  her  decease,  and  we  went  to  bed  at  our  usual 
hour,  but  neither  of  us  felt  disposed  to  sleep.  She  said,  '  We 
cannot  sleep ;  but  if  I  ever  sleep  again,  I  hope  to  dream  of 
heaven  and  heavenly  things,  as  I  shall  not  be  much  longer  in 
this  world.'  Soon  after  these  words,  she  became  very  rest- 
less, and  desired  to  dress  and  go  down  and  sit  in  her  chair, 
which  was  complied  with.  I  helped  her  down,  and  she  directly 
closed  her  eyes,  and  fell  asleep  in  Christ,  without  a  sigh  or 
groan." 

The  death  of  his  wife  left  him  very  solitary  ;  he  had  reached 
that  period  of  life  when  temporal  enjoyments  yield  but  little 
satisfaction,  yet  he  had  within  himself  an  unfailing  source  of 
comfort.  The  blessed  Comforter,  promised  by  our  Lord  to 
come  to  and  abide  with  his  disciples,  graciously  condescended 
to  be  present  with  him,  and  to  solace  and  sweeten  his  lonely 
moments. 

About  this  time,  he  removed  into  a  very  lowly  cottage, 
containing  only  three  small  rooms,  all  on  the  ground  floor. 
But  he  possessed  an  humble  and  contented  mind,  and  had 
learned  how  to  receive  with  cheerful  and  resigned  feelings,  all 
that  his  heavenly  Father  saw  meet  to  dispense,  adopting,  as 
his  own,  these  words  : 

"  The  little  room  for  me  designed, 
"Will  suit  as  well  my  easy  mind, 
As  palaces  of  kings." 

The  following  extracts  from  letters  were  written  by  J. 
Stickland,  near  the  close  of  life. 

"  Oh !  what  a  comfort  to  look  back  on  sixty  years  of  my 
eighty,  and  call  the  Almighty  the  God  of  my  youth,  too,  and 
to  retaste  the  comfort  of  my  first  love,  and  to  be  a  child  in 
my  old  age." 


20 


MEMOIR  OF  J.)IIN  STICK  LAND. 


"Yet  I  want  a  deejjer  work  of  faith,  love,  and  every  grace 
of  the  good  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  To  'be  holy  and  without 
blame  before  him  in  love.' — Eph.  i.  4. 

"  If  any  man  worship  God,  and  do  his  will,  him  he  heareth. 
This,  by  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  every  Christian  can  do." 

Gradually  ripening  for  heaven,  this  humble  servant  of  the 
Lord  was  now  descending  to  the  borders  of  the  grave ;  and, 
though  the  infirmities  of  age  were  stealing  upon  him,  yet  the 
fervor  of  his  spirit  did  not  abate.  He  knew  that  the  daily 
bread  must  daily  be  wrestled  for,  and  he  was  earnest  not  to 
fall  into  a  state  of  listless  ease  or  cool  indifference.  His  views 
of  the  spiritual  nature  of  true  religion,  and  the  insufficiency  of 
all  outward  observances,  were  strengthened.  There  was  an 
evident  deepening  in  religious  experience,  and  an  increased 
meetness  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  His  heart  seemed 
replenished  with  love  to  all,  and  he  delighted  in  that  com- 
munion of  spirit  with  the  Source  of  all  good,  and  with  his  fel- 
low believers,  which  is  the  privilege  and  the  joy  of  Christians. 

His  last  sickness  continued  eight  months.  He  was  desirous 
to  be  released  from  his  earthly  tenement,  and  often  prayed  his 
heavenly  Father  to  take  him  home.  Shortly  before  his  de- 
cease, his  daughter  asked  him  if  he  was  quite  happy.  He 
replied,  "Yes;  I  have  nothing  upon  my  conscience.  Re- 
member, my  dear,  these  words,  '  I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor 
forsake  thee.'  Hemember  that  word,  never."'  He  was  quite 
cheerful,  but  spoke  little  of  the  things  of  this  world,  his  mind 
seeming  almost  constantly  employed  in  prayer,  or  in  exhorta- 
tion to  those  around  him.  In  the  Seventh  ?.Ionth,  1836,  he 
quietly  departed ;  and,  in  contemplating  his  circumspect, 
watchful  life,  and  his  peaceful  death,  we  may  well  adopt  the 
language,  "  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  let  my 
last  end  be  like  his." 


No.  98. 

BRIEF  ACCOUNT 

OF 

Robert  Barclay, 

AUTHOR  OF 

A  TREATISE  ON  THE  DOCTKINES  AND  PRINCIPLES 

OF  THE 

Religious  Society  of  Friends. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 


1889. 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT 

OF 

ROBERT  BARCLAY. 


Robert  Barclay,  son  of  David  and  Katharine  Bar- 
clay, of  Ury,  Avas  born  at  Gordonstoun,  in  the  shire 
of  Moray,  Scotland,  the  23rd  of  the  Tenth  Month, 
1648.  When  very  young  he  had  the  appearance  of  a 
promising  genius  :  and,  after  passing  through  the  best 
schools  of  his  native  country,  was  sent  by  his  father  to 
the  Scottish  College  at  Paris,  of  which  his  uncle  was 
the  rector.  Here  he  made  so  great  proficiency  in  his 
studies,  as  to  gain  the  notice  and  particular  approbation 
of  the  masters  of  the  college ;  and  became  especially  a 
favorite  with  his  uncle,  who  offered  to  make  him  heir  to 
all  his  property,  (which  was  very  considerable,)  if  he 
would  remain  with  him.  But  his  father,  fearing  that 
he  might  become  tainted  with  the  superstitions  of  Pop- 
ery, and  in  compliance  with  his  mother's  dying  request, 
went  to  Paris  in  order  to  bring  him  home,  when  he 
was  not  much  more  than  sixteen  }^ears  of  age.  The 
uncle  still  endeavored  to  prevent  his  return ;  and  pro- 
posed to  purchase  and  give  to  him  immediately  an  es- 
tate greater  than  his  paternal  one.  Robert  replied, 
"  He  is  my  father,  and  must  be  obeyed."  Thus  he 
sacrificed  interest  to  filial  duty ;  and  the  uncle,  diso- 
bliged, left  his  property  to  the  college,  and  to  other 
Roman  Catholic  institutions  in  France. 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  ROBERT  BARCLAY. 


3 


Robert  Barclay  returned  to  Scotland  in  1664 :  two 
years  after  which,  his  father  became  united  in  member- 
ship with  Friends.  So  far  from  endeavors  being  used 
to  gain  over  the  son  to  this  persuasion,  it  was  the  ex- 
press desire  of  the  parent,  that  he  should  have  his  re- 
ligion from  conviction,  rather  than  from  imitation : 
which  accordingly  proved  the  case.  For,  having  freely 
and  extensively  visited  his  relations  and  friends,  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  country,  of  whatever  religious  de- 
nomination, and  particularly  those  of  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic body ;  having  also  strictly  examined  how  far  both 
their  principle  and  practices  were  consonant  with  the 
Scriptures  of  truth;  he  found  himself  constrained,  upon 
the  same  ground  of  real  conviction  as  his  father  had 
been,  to  embrace  the  same  doctrine  and  course  of  life. 

His  own  explanation  of  the  change  appears  in  the 
following  passage  in  the  u  Apology,*'  where,  speaking 
of  himself,  he  says, — "  \Yho,  not  by  strength  of  argu- 
ment, or  by  a  particular  disquisition  of  each  doctrine, 
and  convincement  of  my  understanding  thereby,  came 
to  receive  and  bear  witness  to  the  Truth ;  but  by  being 
secretly  reached  by  this  Life.  For,  when  I  came  into 
the  silent  assemblies  of  God's  people,  I  felt  a  secret 
power  amongst  them  which  touched  my  heart ;  and  as 
I  gave  way  unto  it,  I  found  the  evil  weakening  in  me, 
and  the  good  raised  up  :  and  so  I  became  thus  knit  and 
united  unto  them,  hungering  more  and  more  after  the 
increase  of  this  power  and  life,  whereby  I  might  find 
myself  perfectly  redeemed."'    Prop.  xi.  sect.  7. 

Some  account  of  his  religious  experience  from  his 
youth,  is  contained  in  the  succeeding  extract,  from  an- 
other of  his  publications,  a  treatise  on  "  Universal 


4  BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF 

Love:" — "My  first  education  from  my  infancy,  fell 
among  the  strictest  sort  of  Calvanists ;  those  of  our  coun- 
try being  generally  acknowledged  to  be  the  severest  of 
that  sect;  in  heat  of  zeal  surpassing  not  only  Geneva, 
from  whence  they  derive  their  pedigree,  but  all  other 
reformed  churches  abroad.  I  had  scarce  got  out  of 
my  childhood,  when  I  was,  by  permission  of  Divine 
Providence,  cast  among  the  company  of  Papists ;  and 
my  tender  years  and  immature  capacity,  not  being  able 
to  withstand  the  insinuations  that  were  used  to  prose- 
lyte me  to  that  way,  I  became  quickly  defiled  with  the 
pollutions  thereof;  and  continued  so  for  a  time,  until 
it  pleased  God,  through  his  rich  love  and  mercy,  to  de- 
liver me  out  of  those  snares,  and  to  give  me  a  clear  un- 
derstanding of  the  evil  of  that  way.  In  both  these 
sects  I  had  abundant  occasion  to  receive  impressions 
contrary  to  this  principle  of  love ;  seeing  the  straight- 
ness  of  several  of  their  doctrines,  as  well  as  their  prac- 
tice of  persecution,  do  abundantly  declare,  how  opposite 
they  are  to  universal  love.  The  time  that  intervened 
between  my  forsaking  the  church  of  Rome,  and  unit- 
ing with  those  with  whom  I  now  stand  engaged,  I  kept 
myself  free  from  joining  any  sort  of  people,  though  I 
took  liberty  to  hear  several.  My  converse  was  most 
with  those,  who  inveigh  much  against  judging,  and  such 
kind  of  severity :  which  latitude  may  perhaps  be  es- 
teemed the  other  extreme,  opposite  to  the  preciseness 
of  these  other  sects ;  whereby  I  also  received  an  oppor- 
tunity to  know,  what  usually  is  pretended  on  that  side 
likewise.  As  for  those  I  am  now  united  to,  I  justly  es- 
teem them  to  be  the  true  followers  and  servants  of  Je- 
sus Christ." 


ROBERT  BARCLAY. 


5 


In  the  winter  of  1669,  Robert  Barclay,  then  about 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  married  Christian  Mollison, 
daughter  of  Gilbert  Mollison,  a  merchant  in  Aberdeen. 
It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  motives  which  appear  to 
have  influenced  his  mind  in  entering  into  the  marriage 
state,  as  they  are  shown  in  the  following  extract  from  a 
letter  addressed  to  the  object  of  his  choice. 

"  The  love  of  thy  converse,  the  desire  of  thy  friend- 
ship, the  sympathy  of  thy  way,  and  meekness  of  thy 
spirit,  has  often,  as  thou  mayst  have  observed,  occa- 
sioned me  to  take  frequent  opportunity  to  have  the 
benefit  of  thy  company ;  in  which,  I  can  truly  say,  I 
have  often  been  refreshed,  and  the  life  in  me  touched 
with  a  sweet  unity,  which  flowed  from  the  same  in  thee, 
— tender  flames  of  pure  love  have  been  kindled  in  my 
bosom  towards  thee,  and  praises  have  sprung  up  in  me 
to  the  God  of  our  salvation,  for  what  he  hath  done  for 
thee !  Many  things  in  the  natural  will  concur  to 
strengthen  and  encourage  my  affection  towards  thee, 
and  make  thee  acceptable  unto  me ;  but  that  which  is 
before  all  and  beyond  all,  is,  that  I  can  say  in  the  fear 
of  the  Lord,  that  I  have  received  a  charge  from  Him 
to  love  thee,  and  for  that  I  know  his  love  is  much 
towards  thee;  and  his  blessing  and  goodness  is  and 
shall  be  unto  thee,  so  long  as  thou  abidest  in  a  true 
sense  of  it/"' 

Christian  Barclay's  after  life  proved  that  Robert  Bar- 
clay judged  correctly  of  her  piety  and  worth.  She  was 
an  helpmeet  to  him,  till  he  was  removed  by  death,  and 
when  left  a  widow,  she  was  as  a  spiritual  nursing 
mother  to  her  household.  We  are  informed  by  a 
Friend,  who  passed  several  days  under  her  roof,  that 


6 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF 


when  her  children  were  up  in  the  morning  and  dressed, 
she  sat  down  with  them  before  breakfast,  and  in  a  re- 
ligious manner,  waited  upon  the  Lord,  "  which  pious 
care,"  he  adds,  "and  motherly  instruction  of  her  chil- 
dren when  young,  doubtless  had  its  desired  effect  upon 
them ;  for,  as  they  grew  in  years,  they  also  grew  in 
knowledge  of  the  blessed  Truth ;  and  since  that  time, 
some  of  them  are  become  public  preachers  thereof." 

After  Robert  Barclay's  marriage  he  settled  at  Ury, 
with  his  father,  and  whilst  residing  here,  all  his  publi- 
cations, together  comprising  a  folio  volume  of  200 
pages,  were  put  forth,  when  he  was  between  the  age  of 
twenty-two  and  thirty-one  years.  His  time,  however, 
was  not  all  passed  in  endeavoring  to  serve  the  cause  of 
religion  with  his  pen.  He  believed  that  he  was  called, 
also  to  take  part  in  the  public  ministry  of  the  gospel,  and 
in  various  ways,  by  the  labors  he  performed,  and  the 
sufferings  he  endured,  to  promote  the  spread  of  truth 
and  righteousness  in  the  earth. 

Andrew  Jaff'ray  intimates,  that  Robert  Barclay  some- 
times availed  himself  of  the  opportunity,  which  the  na- 
tional congregations  afforded,  of  promulgating  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Society.  His  lirst  visit  to  London  was 
probably  in  1674.  The  next  year,  conjointly  with 
George  Keith,  he  was  engaged  in  a  public  dispute  with 
some  of  the  students  in  the  university  of  Aberdeen. 
Though  this  dispute  did  not  terminate  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  the  disputants  on  either  side,  yet  it  was  attended 
as  is  said,  with  this  effect,  that  it  proved  the  means  of 
convincing  four  students,  who  were  part  of  the  auditory, 
of  the  truth  of  the  principles  maintained  by  Robert 
Barclay.    In  1676,  he  travelled  again  to  London,  on  a 


ROBERT  -BARCLAY. 


7 


religious  visi  to  his  friends:  and  made  a  similar  visit 
in  Holland  and  Germany.  In  this  journey  he  com- 
menced an  acquaintance  with  Elizabeth  princess-pala- 
tine of  the  Rhine  ;  with  whom,  as  appears  from  a  letter 
she  wrote  to  him  on  his  return,  he  had  a  conference  on 
religious  subjects.  After  he  had  completed  this  visit 
he  returned  to  London,  where  he  received  intelligence 
of  the  imprisonment  of  his  father,  with  some  other 
friends,  at  Aberdeen. 

Soon  after  his  return  home  he  was  himself  imprison- 
ed ;  but  he  was  so  tar  indulged  as  to  be  put  into  a  better 
prison  than  the  rest. 

His  commitment  was  on  the  7th  of  the  Ninth  Month, 
1676  ;  and  in  the  following  month  the  news  of  his  con- 
finement  reached  his  friend  the  princess-palatine,  pro- 
bably with  some  circumstances  of  exaggeration,  so  that 
she  wrote  to  her  brother,  the  prince  Rupert,  to  inter- 
cede on  behalf  of  Robert  Barclay  and  his  friends,  and 
do  what  he  could  "to  prevent  their  destruction." 

Whilst  Robert  Barclay  lay  in  the  Tolbooth  at  Aber- 
deen, his  father  was  again  committed  to  prison  and 
lodged  in  the  lower  gaol.  He  was  committed  on  the 
6th  of  the  First  Month,  1677,  about  four  months  after 
his  son's  imprisonment;  and  on  the  17th  they  were 
both  removed,  with  three  others,  to  a  place  out  of  the 
town  called  the  Chapel.  In  this  chapel  the  five  prison- 
ers were  confined  in  a  small  room,  which  allowed  them 
little  more  space  than  was  necessary  to  hold  their  beds. 
It  had  a  large  door,  which  was  not  opened  except  when 
the  keeper  brought  them  food;  and  when  it  was  shut 
the  prisoners  had  not  sufficient  light  to  serve  them  at 
their  meals.    It  was  usual  when  the  door  was  opened, 


8 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF 


for  a  servant  to  come  and  sweep  out  the  room ;  and 
because,  to  make  way  for  him  the  prisoners  occasionally 
stepped  a  few  paces  out  of  the  door,  induced  also  by  a 
desire  of  breathing  for  a  few  minutes  a  purer  air,  the 
magistrate  of  Aberdeen  reprimanded  their  keeper  for 
allowing  so  much  indulgence.  The  same  magistrate 
also  chid  the  person  who  kept  the  key  of  their  cell,  for 
proposing  to  let  them  have  a  smaller  place  under  their 
room  for  the  purpose  of  stowing  fuel ;  and  rejected  with 
indignation  a  proposal  to  make  another  window  to  their 
darksome  place  of  confinement. 

On  the  3rd  of  the  Second  Month,  an  order  of  the 
commissioners  of  the  Scottish  council  was  made  for  re- 
moving David  from  the  chapel,  for  confining  him  at  his 
country  house,  and  prohibiting  him  to  hold  meetings 
or  to  go  to  them.  He  was  therefore  released,  but  he 
informed  the  bearers  of  the  conditions  that  he  accepted 
his  liberty,  but  that  as  to  restrictions  he  should  act  as 
he  saw  proper.  Robert  was  ordered  to  be  removed  to 
the  Tolbooth  of  Banff;  to  which  place  were  also 
ordered  several  other  prisoners.  The  sheriff  gave  him 
his  liberty  on  condition  of  his  being  forth-coming  when 
he  should  appoint  a  time  to  convey  him  to  Banff. 

A  recommendation  from  the  king's  council  at  Edin- 
burgh had  been  referred  by  that  body  to  certain  com- 
missioners appointed  for  putting  into  execution  some 
acts  of  the  Scottish  parliament,  against  what  was  termed 
"  keeping  of  conventicles  and  withdrawers  from  Divine 
worship;"  under  which  acts  the  friends  at  Aberdeen 
had  been  persecuted ;  and  by  some  of  these  commis- 
sioners the  decree  had  been  made  by  which  David  was 
liberated  and  Robert  ordered  to  be  removed  to  Banff. 


ROBERT  BARCLAY. 


9 


Previously,  however,  to  this  decree,  the  prisoners  in 
general  had  preferred  a  petition  to  the  council  itself, 
requesting  relief,  and  stating  their  sufferings ;  which 
seem  to  have  been  even  more  grievous  than  those  which 
Robert  Barclay  and  his  four  companions  had  endured 
in  the  chapel.  The  council  listened  to  the  request; 
appointed  a  day  in  the  Third  Month  for  receiving  from 
the  commissioners  information  respecting  the  condition 
and  circumstances  of  the  prisoners,  and  ordered,  that  in 
the  meantime,  they  should  be  provided  with  better  ac- 
commodations. This  order  of  council  caused  much 
dispute  between  the  magistrates  of  Aberdeen  and  the 
under-sheriff;  the  former  insisting  that  the  sheriff 
should  take  to  Banff'  such  prisoners  as  had  been  ordered 
thither  by  the  decree  of  the  commissioners ;  and  the 
latter  refusing  to  convey  them,  and  pressing  the  magis- 
trates to  accommodate  them  better  in  consequence  of  the 
council's  order,  which  bore  a  date  subsequent  to  the 
commissioner's  decree.  The  contention  grew  violent, 
and  each  party  entered  formal  protests  at  law  against 
the  neglect  of  the  other.  Robert  Barclay,  also,  and  the 
other  prisoners  who  had  been  ordered  to  be  taken  to 
Banff,  being,  as  has  been  said,  at  large,  on  their  parole, 
and  seeing  that  neither  of  the  contending  parties  would 
take  charge  of  them,  went  before  a  notary  and  pro- 
tested, "  that  themselves  were  freemen,  and  should  pass 
away  about  their  lawful  occasions."  Thus  did  Robert 
Barclay  regain  his  liberty  the  9th  of  Second  Month, 
1677,  after  an  imprisonment  of  about  five  months. 

Xot  many  days  before,  he  had  written  a  letter  to 
Archbishop  Sharp,  remonstrating  in  very  plain  terms 
against  these  persecuting  measures,  of  which  the  Arch- 


10 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF 


bishop  (he  observes)  was  "  said  to  be  the  chief  and 
principal  author." 

The  year  in  which  Robert  Barclay  was  released  from 
prison  he  accompanied  William  Penn  in  a  part  of  the 
religions  visit  to  Holland  and  Germany,  of  which  there 
is  an  account  published  by  the  latter.  After  a  short 
stay  at  Amsterdam,  they  proceeded  to  Herwerden,  the 
residence  of  Elizabeth  the  princess-palatine.  The  prin- 
cipal object  of  their  journey  thither  was  to  visit  this 
princess  and  Anna  Maria  de  Homes,  countess  of  Homes, 
who  was  her  intimate  acquaintance,  who  resided  much 
in  her  house,  and  was,  as  well  as  herself,  a  woman  seek- 
ing after  the  best  things,  and  a  favorer  of  such  (says 
William  Penn,)  as  separate  themselves  from  the  world, 
for  the  sake  of  righteousness. 

They  were  received  by  the  princess  and  her  friend, 
the  day  after  their  arrival,  about  seven  in  the  morning. 
Their  visit  appears  to  have  been  a  religious  meeting, 
which  lasted  till  eleven.  The  princess  invited  them 
to  dine  with  her,  which  they  declined ;  but  as  they 
desired  another  meeting,  she  appointed  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon.  At  this  meeting  several  were  present 
besides  the  princess  and  countess.  It  continued  till 
near  seven  in  the  evening.  William  Penn  thus  speaks 
of  it :  "  The  eternal  word  showed  itself  a  hammer  this 
day ;  yea,  sharper  than  a  two-edged  sword,  dividing 
asunder  between  the  soul  and  the  spirit,  the  joints  and 
the  marrow." 

The  following  day  they  paid  two  visits  at  this  little 
court;  and  the  day  after,  which  was  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  they  held  there  a  meeting  appointed  at  two 
o'clock  by  the  direction  of  the  princess;  at  which  were 


ROBERT  BARCLAY. 


11 


present  others  besides  those  of  her  household.  Among 
other  things,  William  Perm  says  of  this  meeting  :  "  The 
quickening  power  and  life  of  Jesus  wrought  and 
reached  them  ;  and  virtue  from  him  in  whom  dwelleth 
the  Godhead  bodily,  went  forth."  After  this  meeting, 
which  held  till  late  in  the  evening,  the  visitors  took 
their  leave ;  but  not  before  they  had  been  witnesses  of 
the  tender  disposition  of  mind  of  the  princess,  who, 
attempting  to  set  forth  her  sense  of  the  power  and 
presence  of  God  prevalent  among  them,  could  not  pro- 
ceed, but  turned  herself  to  the  window  and  said  :  "  My 
heart  is  full,  I  cannot  speak  to  you."  The  next  day 
Robert  Barclay  left  the  company,  and  returned  to  Am- 
sterdam, and  so  home  by  way  of  London. 

In  the  Ninth  Month,  1679,  he  was  again  taken,  with 
several  other  Friends,  from  the  meeting  at  Aberdeen, 
and  committed  to  prison.  This  confinement  was  not 
only  of  short  duration,  as  they  were  released  in  about 
three  hours,  but  it  proved  the  last  on  this  account ;  for 
from  that  period  the  religious  meetings  of  Friends 
at  Aberdeen  were  held  without  any  molestation 
from  the  magistrates.  The  well  known  interest  which 
Robert  Barclay  possessed  at  court,  might  in  part 
restrain  them  from  further  persecution  ;  and  the  con- 
stancy of  the  sufferers  could  scarcely  fail  of  producing 
an  effect  favorable  to  the  end  for  which  they  suffered  ; 
the  liberty  of  assembling  to  worship  God,  in  the  way 
they  believed  to  be  most  acceptable  to  Him. 

The  remainder  of  the  life  of  Robert  Barclay  is  not 
marked  with  many  instances  of  public  action.  Much 
of  it  appears  to  have  been  passed  in  tranquillity,  and  in 
the  bosom  of  his  family;  yet  he  occasionally  made  some 


12 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF 


journeys  to  promote  his  private  concerns,  to  serve  his 
relations  and  neighbors,  or  to  maintain  the  cause  of  his 
brethren  in  religious  profession.  On  his  return  from 
a  journey  to  the  neighborhood  of  London,  where  he 
had  been  settling  his  son  at  boarding  school,  kept  by  a 
friend,  at  Theobalds  in  Hertfordshire,  his  life  appears 
to  have  been  in  some  danger  from  the  attack  of  a  high- 
wayman. His  wife  had  observed  him  in  the  morning  to 
be  more  pensive  than  usual,  and  he  told  her  that  he 
believed  some  uncommon  trial  would  that  day  befall 
the  company,  which  consisted  of  himself,  his  wife,  her 
brother,  and  Aarent  Sonmans,  a  Dutchman,  formerly 
a  merchant  in  Holland,  but  then  resident  in  Scotland. 
When  the  robber  presented  his  pistol,  Eobert  Barclay 
calmly  asked  him  "  how  he  came  to  be  so  rude,"  and 
took  him  by  the  arm,  on  which  the  robber  let  the  pistol 
drop,  and  offered  him  no  farther  violence ;  but  his 
brother-in-law  was  rifled,  and  Sonmans  received  a 
mortal  wound  in  the  thigh,  though  it  was  thought, 
rather  accidentally  than  by  design.  He  died  at  Stilton 
a  few  days  afterwards. 

In  1686  he  was  much  solicited  by  George  Fox  and 
some  other  Friends  who  knew  his  interest  at  court,  to 
come  again  to  London  and  employ  himself  on  behalf 
of  the  Society.  Though  the  juncture  in  which  this 
application  was  made,  was  not  a  time  of  persecution 
(for  that  had  ceased  on  the  accession  of  James  II.)  yet 
the  legal  incapacity  of  Friends  in  consequence  of  their 
refusing  to  swear;  and  the  ruinous  processes  which  were 
generally  instituted  against  them  for  tithes,  even  of 
small  amount ;  together  with  the  little  security  which 
they  felt,  whilst  the  penal  laws  were  only  suspended  by 


ROBERT  BARCLAY. 


13 


a  power  which  they  knew  to  be  incompetent ;  all  these 
considerations  naturally  induced  them  to  desire  that 
their  case  might  rest  on  a  surer  basis. 

During  the  time  of  Robert  Barclay's  abode  in  the 
metropolis  he  presented  to  the  king  an  address  of 
acknowledgment  of  the  general  meeting  of  Friends  at 
Aberdeen.  He  also  visited  the  seven  bishops,  then  con- 
fined in  the  Tower  for  having  refused  to  distribute,  in 
their  respective  dioceses,  the  king's  declaration  for 
liberty  of  conscience,  and  for  having  represented  to  the 
king  the  grounds  of  their  objection  to  the  measure. 
The  popular  opinion  was  in  favor  of  the  Bishops;  yet 
the  former  severities  of  some  of  that  order  against  dis- 
senters, particularly  against  Friends,  occasioned  some 
reflections  on  them,  which  coming  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  imprisoned  bishops,  they  declared  that  the  Quakers 
had  belied  them,  by  reporting  that  they  had  been  the 
death  of  some.  Eobert  Barclay  being  informed  of  this 
declaration  went  to  the  Tower  and  gave  the  bishops  a 
well  substantiated  account  of  some  persons  having  been 
detained  in  prison  till  death,  by  order  of  bishops, 
though  they  had  been  apprised  of  the  danger  by  phy- 
sicians who  were  not  Quakers.  He,  however,  observed 
to  the  bishops  that  it  was  by  no  means  the  intention  of 
Friends  to  publish  such  events,  and  thereby  give  the 
king  and  their  other  adversaries  any  advantage  against 
them. 

After  having  visited  James  the  Second  in  London  for 
the  last  time,  in  1688,  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life 
chiefly  at  home,  where  he  enjoyed  the  esteem  and  regard 
of  his  neighbors,  and  the  comforts  of  domestic  society. 
In  the  year  1690  he  accompanied  James  Dickinson, 


14 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF 


a  minister  from  Cumberland,  in  a  religious  visit  to 
some  parts  of  the  north  of  Scotland,  and  soon  after  his 
return  from  this  visit  was  seized  with  a  violent  fever, 
which  in  a  short  time  put  an  end  to  his  life. 

James  Dickinson  was  with  him  at  the  time  of  his  ill- 
ness. It  was  a  solemn  season  :  and  as  he. sat  by  him, 
the  Lord's  power  and  presence  bowed  their  hearts 
together,  and  Robert  Barclay  was  sweetly  melted  in  a 
sense  of  God's  love.  Though  much  oppressed  by  the 
disorder,  a  resigned,  peaceful,  and  Christian  frame  of 
mind  shone  through  all.  With  tears,  he  expressed  the 
love  he  bore  towards  "  all  faithful  brethren  in  England, 
who  keep  their  integrity  to  the  Truth,"  and  added, 
"  Remember  my  love  to  Friends  in  Cumberland,  at 
Swarthmore,  and  to  dear  George  (meaning  George 
Fox),  and  to  all  the  faithful  everywhere,"  concluding 
with  these  comfortable  words:  "  God  is  good  still; 
and  though  I  am  under  a  great  weight  of  sickness  and 
weakness  as  to  my  body,  yet  my  peace  flows.  And  this 
I  know,  that  whatever  exercises  may  be  permitted  to 
come  upon  me,  they  shall  tend  to  God's  glory  and  my 
salvation,  and  in  that  I  rest."  He  died  on  the  3rd  of 
the  Eighth  Month,  1690,  in  the  42d  year  of  his  age, 
the  remains  being  attended  to  the  grave  in  the  family 
burial-place  at  Ury,  by  many  Friends  and  others  of  the 
neighborhood. 

William  Penn,  who  was  intimately  acquainted  with 
Robert  Barclay,  and  had  travelled  with  him  in  the  min- 
istry of  the  Gospel  both  in  England  and  on  the  conti- 
nent of  Europe,  bears  this  testimony  concerning  him  : 
"  He  loved  the  truth  and  way  of  God  as  revealed  among 
us,  above  all  the  world,  and  was  not  ashamed  of  it 


ROBERT  BARCLAY. 


15 


before  men ;  but  bold  and  able  in  maintaining  it.  He 
was  a  learned  man,  a  good  Christian,  an  able  minister, 
a  dutiful  son,  a  loving  husband,  a  tender  and  careful 
father,  an  easy  master,  a  good  and  kind  neighbor  and 
friend." 

George  Fox  says,  "  He  was  a  wise  and  faithful  min- 
ister, a  pillar  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  a  man  I  very 
much  loved  for  his  labor  in  the  Truth." 

Equally  full  and  clear  is  the  testimony  borne  of 
him  by  some  of  his  own  neighbors  and  countrymen ; 
one  says,  "  I  never  knew  him  at  any  time  to  be  in 
passion  or  anger.  He  was  a  man  of  a  sweet,  pleasant 
and  cheerful  temper,  and  above  many  for  evenness  of 
spirit."  Another  says,  "  He  was  so  far  from  being  lifted 
up,  or  exalted  by  the  great  gifts  he  had  received  from 
his  Maker,  both  in  the  Truth,  and  as  a  man,  that  I  can 
say,  I  have  often  desired  to  grow  in  the  plain,  down- 
right, humble  and  lowly  spirit,  wherein  he  became  as 
weak  with  the  weakest,  and  poor  with  the  poorest,  and 
low  with  the  lowest." 

His  first  appearance  as  an  author  was  as  early  as  his 
twenty-second  year,  in  a  controversy  between  "  the 
Friends  in  Aberdeen  and  some  of  the  Clergy;"  the 
limits  of  this  tract  will  only  permit  the  notice  of  his 
principal  works — the  Apology,  and  two  or  three  others, 
of  like  general  tendency. 

Though  dealing  more  in  argument  than  in  narrative, 
yet  his  Writings  contain  much  encouragement  to  sin- 
cere hearted  persons,  travelling  through  the  temptations 
of  time  to  the  rewards  of  eternity. 

His  Catechism  and  Confession  of  Faith  has  gone 
through  many  editions  in  English,  and  several  in  other 


16 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF 


languages.  The  first  edition  is  that  of  1673.  The 
Society  of  Friends  had  been  represented  as  vilifying 
and  denying  the  Scriptures ;  "  to  disprove  which,"  says 
Barclay,  addressing  himself  to  the  reader,  "  this  Cate- 
chism and  Confession  of  Faith  are  compiled  and  brought 
to  thy  view — in  answer  to  the  questions,'" there  is  not 
one  word,  that  I  know  of,  placed,  but  the  express  words 
of  Scripture." 

We  may  next  notice  "  The  Anarchy  of  the  Ranters, 
and  other  libertines,  the  Hierarchy  of  the  Romanists, 
and  other  pretended  churches,  equally  refused  and 
refuted ;  in  a  two-fold  apology  for  the  church  and 
people  of  God  called  in  derision  Quakers."  The  work 
has  passed  through  several  impressions,  and  an  addi- 
tional title  prefixed,  namely,.  "  A  Treatise  on  Christian 
Discipline."    It  is  well  worthy  of  a  general  perusal. 

His  most  important  work  is  entitled  "  An  Apology 
for  the  true  Christian  divinity,  as  the  same  is  held  forth, 
and  preached,  by  the  people  called  in  scorn  Quakers ; 
being  a  full  explanation  and  vindication  of  their  prin- 
ciples and  doctrines,  by  many  arguments  deduced  from 
Scriptures  and  right  reason,  and  the  testimonies  of 
famous  authors,  both  ancient  and  modern  ;  with  a  full 
answer  to  the  strongest  objections  usually  made  against 
them.  Presented  to  the  king."  In  this  work,  fifteen  prop- 
ositions which  he  had  previously  published  under  the 
title  of  Theses  Theologies,  are  examined  and  proved.  The 
author's  general  method  is,  to  state  clearly  the  position 
which  he  is  about  to  prove ;  afterwards  to  adduce  one 
or  more  Scripture  texts,  which  either  plainly  affirm  the 
truth  of  what  he  has  laid  down,  or  from  which  it  may 
be  naturally,  fairly  and  clearly  deduced  by  an  argument. 


ROBERT  BARCLAY. 


17 


He  afterwards  adds  the  testimonies  of  other  authors  of 
approved  reputation  in  support  of  the  doctrine  which  he 
is  proving;  and  lastly  states  the  objections  to  it  that 
have  been  made,  or  that  might  be  made ;  which  he 
likewise  answers  from  Scripture,  or  from  self-evident 
truths,  acknowledged  by  all. 

On  the  subject  of  the  first  proposition,  our  author 
asserts  that  the  true  foundation  of  knowledge  consists  in 
being  acquainted  with  God ;  an  assertion  which,  as 
he  supposes  it  will  generally  be  granted,  he  does  not 
stop  long  to  explain.  Immediate  revelation  is  held  up  in 
the  second  proposition ;  and  Barclay  not  only  shows 
the  necessity  of  it,  for  obtaining  that  true  knowledge 
which  is  mentioned  in  the  first;  but  proves  that  the 
doctrine  was  held  by  the  early  teachers  of  Christianity; 
and  that  the  revelation  for  which  he  pleads,  is  only  to 
be  obtained  in  and  by  Christ,  through  the  Spirit.  This 
part  of  the  Apology  also  contains  (§5.)  Robert  Barclay's 
faith  as  to  the  eternal  divinity  of  Christ. 

The  Apologist  begins  the  third  proposition,  treating 
of  the  Scriptures,  with  declaring  them  to  be  the  most 
excellent  writings  in  the  world:  to  which  not  only  no 
other  writings  are  to  be  preferred,  but  even  in  divers 
respects  are  not  comparable.  Nevertheless,  he  asserts 
that  it  is  the  Spirit  that  must  apply  them  for  our  benefit, 
and  must  still  be  the  primary  rule  of  Christians.  He 
then  guards  against  the  common  objection,  that  hereby 
the  Scriptures  are  rendered  useless ;  and  shows  that,  as 
they  have  proceeded  from  the  revelation  of  the  Divine 
'  Spirit  in  the  writers,  they  can  never  be  contradicted  by 
the  revelation  of  the  same  Spirit  in  the  mind  of  any. 
He  is  willing  that  all  doctrines  and  practices  should  be 


18 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF 


tried  by  them ;  and  that  whatever  any  persons  pretend- 
ing to  the  Spirit,  do  contrary  to  the  Scriptures,  should 
be  taken  for  delusion. 

In  the  fourth  proposition  are  unfolded  the  views  of 
the  Society  of  Friends  respecting  the  State  of  man  in  the 
fall.  He  denies  the  imputation  of  sin  to  infants,  on 
account  of  Adam's  transgression,  until  they  join  with 
the  seed  of  evil  in  themselves  by  their  own  aetual  sin, 
and  declares  that  they  cannot  derive  from  their  fallen 
progenitor  any  power  to  overcome  it.  A  seed  of  sin 
he  confesses  to  be  transmitted  to  all  men  from  Adam ; 
but,  he  prefers  to  call  it  by  the  Scriptural  terms  of 
Death,  the  old  man,  the  old  Adam,  rather  than  by  the 
Calvinistic  term  of  Original  Sin:  which  notion  he  thinks 
has  given  rise  to  that  of  imputing  sin  to  infants. 

In  the  two  following  propositions,  the  fifth  and  sixth, 
which  are  considered  jointly,  our  author  shows  the 
means  of  man's  restoration  from  the  fall ;  and  ably 
asserts  Universal  redemption  by  Christ,  and  the  saving  and 
spiritual  light  wherewith  every  man  is  enlightened.  He 
begins  with  some  short,  yet  sharp  strictures  on  the 
doctrine  ef  Absolute  reprobation,  which  he  successfully 
opposes ;  and  proves  the  universality  of  Christ's  death, 
and  the  consequent  possibility  of  salvation  to  all.  The 
author  lays  it  down  that  God,  who,  of  his  infinite  love, 
sent  his  Son  into  the  world,  who  tasted  death  for  every 
man,  hath  given  to  every  man  a  time  of  visitation, 
during  which  he  may  partake  of  the  fruits  of  Christ's 
death.  Secondly,  that,  to  this  end  God  hath  given  to 
every  man  a  measure  of  the  light  of  his  own  son — a 
measure  of  grace — a  measure  of  the  Spirit.  Thirdly, 
that  God,  in  and  by  this  light,  invites,  calls,  exhorts 


ROBERT  BARCLAY. 


19 


and  strives  with  every  man,  in  order  to  save  him ; 
which  liffht  received  and  not  resisted,  works  the  salva- 
tion  of  all ;  but,  that  it  may  he  resisted,  and  then  it 
becomes  man's  condemnation.  Having  thus  shown 
that  man  eo-operates  in  the  work  of  his  salvation,  he 
guards  against  derogating  from  the  atonement  and  sac- 
rifice of  Christ ;  asserts  belief  in  all  that  is  recorded  of 
him  in  -Scripture;  and  that  remission  of  sins  is  only  by 
virtue  of  that  most  satisfactory  sacrifice. 

Justification  forms  the  matter  for  the  seventh  propo- 
sition, in  which  he  cautions  all  against  supposing  them- 
selves justified  by  virtue  of  Christ's  death,  while  they 
remain  unsanctified  in  heart,  and  polluted  with  sin. 

The  doctrine  of  the  eighth  proposition  has  been  much 
opposed.  It  asserts  the  possibility  of  Perfection  in  this 
life;  which  perfection  is  defined  to  consist  in  a  freedom 
from  actual  sinning,  and  from  transgressing  the  law  of 
God.  It  is  a  state  which  admits  of  a  growth ;  and  from 
which  there  is  a  possibility  of  falling.  The  doctrine  of 
those  who  plead  for  the  impossibility  of  perfection,  and 
for  the  continuance  in  sin  during  life,  is  opposed  at 
length. 

The  ninth  proposition  respects  Perseverance,  and  the 
possibility  of  falling  from  grace.  On  these  subjects  the 
author's  judgment  may,  in  great  measure,  be  inferred 
from  what  precedes.  Accordingly,  he  is  short  in  this 
part  of  the  Apology;  and  his  sense  is,  that  the  truth 
lies  betwixt  these  two  extremes,  viz.,  the  doctrine  of 
such  as  affirm  that  the  least  degree  of  true  and  saving  grace 
cannot  be  fallen  from  ;  and  that  of  those  who  deny  any 
such  stability  attainable,  as  that  there  can  be  no  total  and 
final  apostacg  from  it. 


20 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF 


In  the  tenth  proposition,  we  meet  with  a  subject  on 
which  the  Society  of  Friends  have  appeared  to  differ 
more  from  other  professors  of  Christianity  than  on 
most  other  points,  namely  Gospel  ministry.  After  ex- 
plaining his  sense  of  what  constitutes  the  Church,  which 
he  defines  to  be  the  Society  of  such  as  God  has  called 
out  of  the  worldly  spirit,  to  walk  in  his  light  and  life, 
he  shows  what  is  the  call  of  a  true  minister,  asserting 
it  to  be  the  inward  power  and  virtue  of  the  Spirit  of  God ; 
and  rejects  the  notion  of  succession  from  the  apostles. 
Having  established  the  call,  he  lays  down  the  qualifi- 
cation of  a  minister,  of  which  he  asserts  human  learning 
to  form  no  necessary  part ;  but  places  all  in  the  power, 
life  and  virtue  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Lastly,  he  maintains 
that  the  true  ministers  should  not,  cannot,  teach  for 
lu  re  ;  and  opposes  the  practice  of  a  forced  maintenance. 
This  is  a  very  interesting  part  of  the  Apology,  and 
teems  with  able  arguments  drawn  both  from  the  letter 
and  the  spirit  of  the  Bible. 

Worship  is  spoken  of  in  the  eleventh  proposition. 
True  worship  is  referred  to  an  inward  feeling  of  rever- 
ence and  devotion,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  ceremonies 
which  may  be  set  about  in  the  will  of  man.  The 
author,  nevertheless,  takes  care  to  assert  the  necessity 
of  meeting  at  stated  times  for  worship;  but  that  when 
assembled,  the  great  duty  of  all  is  to  wait  to  feel  the 
Lord's  presence,  and  to  know  indeed  a  gathering  into 
his  name. 

The  twelfth  and  thirteenth  propositions  are  employed 
on,  what  are  termed  the  two  sacraments,  Baptism  and 
the  Supper.  Baptism  with  water  is  declared  not  to  be 
the  one  true  baptism  of  Christ ;  which  is  proved  to  be 


ROBERT  BARCLAY.  21 

inward  and  spiritual,  according  to  the  text,  <w  He  shall 
baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire;"  and 
the  objections  of  such  as  hold  water  baptism  to  be  of 
perpetual  obligation,  are  answered.  The  body  and 
blood  of  Christ,  of  which  believers  partake,  are  asserted 
to  be  spiritual,  and  not  carnal,  and  to  be  really  enjoyed 
as  often  as  the  soul  retires  into  the  light  of  the  Lord, 
and  feels  and  partakes  of  that  heavenly  life,  by  which 
the  inward  man  is  nourished. 

The  fourteenth  proposition  is,  concerning  the  Power 
of  the  civil  magistrate  in  matters  purely  religious  and 
partaining  to  the  conscience.  It  may  be  well  conceived 
that  Barclay  here  firmly  asserts  the  unlawfulness  of 
any  attempt  to  force  the  conscience.  At  the  same 
time  he  gives  no  countenance  to  persons  who,  under 
pretence  of  conscience,  would  prejudice  their  neigh- 
bors. 

The  fifteenth  and  last  proposition  has  for  its  title, 
Concerning  Salutations  and  Recreations,  though  it  also 
embraces  some  other  objects.  In  it  the  author  shows 
the  unlawfulness,  to  Christians,  of  using  flattering  titles 
and  compliments — of  kneeling,  prostrating,  or  bowing 
the  body,  or  uncovering  the  head,  to  any  man — of 
superfluities  in  apparel  for  ornament  and  vanity;  of 
sports,  games,  comedies,  vain  recreations,  &c. ;  of  swear- 
ing at  all ;  and  of  resisting  evil  and  fighting.  On  this 
occasion  also,  the  objections  of  such  as  plead  for  those 
things  are  ably  answered ;  particularly  in  the  case  of 
oaths. 

In  concluding  his  Apology,  Robert  Barclay  thus  ad- 
dresses his  candid  reader  :  "  Thou  mayest  observe  here 
the  Christian  Religion  in  all  its  parts  truly  established 


22 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF 


and  vindicated,  as  it  is  a  living,  inward,  spiritual,  pure 
and  substantial  thing,  and  not  a  mere  form,  show, 
shadow,  notion  and  opinion,  as  too  many  have  hitherto 
held  it,  whose  fruits  declare  they  wanted  that  which  they 
bear  name  of ;  and  yet,  many  of  those  are  so  in  love  with 
their  empty  forms  and  shadows,  that  they  cease  not  to 
calumniate  us  for  commending  and  calling  them  to  the 
substance,  as  if  we  therefore  denied  or  neglected  the 
true  form  and  outward  part  of  Christianity,  which 
indeed  is,  as  God  the  searcher  of  hearts  knows,  a  very 
great  slander.  Thus,  because  we  have  desired  people 
earnestly  to  feel  after  God  near  and  in  themselves,  telling 
them  that  their  notions  of  God,  as  he  is  beyond  the 
clouds,  will  little  avail  them,  if  they  do  not  feel  him 
near ;  hence,  they  have  sought  maliciously  to  infer  that 
we  deny  any  God  except  that  which  is  within  us.  Be- 
cause we  tell  people,  that  it  is  the  light  and  law  within, 
and  not  the  letter  without,  that  can  truly  tell  them  their 
condition  and  lead  them  out  of  all  evil ;  hence,  they  say 
we  vilify  the  Scriptures  and  set  up  our  own  imaginations 
above  them.  Because  wTe  tell  them  that  it  is  not  their 
talking  or  believing  of  Christ's  outward  life,  sufferings, 
death  and  resurrection,  no  more  than  the  Jeivs  crying, 
the  temple  of  the  Lord,  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  that  will 
serve  their  turn  or  justify  them  in  the  sight  of  God; 
but,  that  they  must  know  Christ  in  them,  whom  they 
have  crucified,  to  be  raised  and  to  justify  them  and  re- 
deem them  from  their  iniquities :  hence  they  say  we 
deny  the  life,  death  and  sufferings  of  Christ,  justifica- 
tion by  his  blood,  and  remission  of  sins  through  Him. 
Because  we  tell  them  while  they  are  talking  and  deter- 


ROBERT  BARCLAY. 


23 


mining  about  the  resurrection,  that  they  have  more  need 
to  know  the  Just  One  whom  they  have  slain,  raised  in 
themselves,  and  to  be  sure  they  are  partakers  of  the  first 
resurrection ;  and  that  if  this  be,  they  will  be  more  capa- 
ble to  judge  of  the  second:  hence,  they  say  that  we  deny 
the  resurrection  of  the  body.  Because  when  we  hear 
them  talk  foolishly  of  heaven  and  hell  and  the  last 
judgment,  we  exhort  them  to  come  out  of  the  hellish 
condition  they  are  in,  and  come  down  to  the  judgment 
of  Christ  in  their  own  hearts,  and  believe  in  the  light 
and  follow  it,  that  so  they  may  come  to  sit  in  the  heav- 
enly places  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus ;  hence  they  mali- 
ciously say  that  we  deny  any  heaven  or  hell  but  that 
which  is  within  us,  and  that  we  deny  any  general  judg- 
ment ;  which  slanders  the  Lord  knows  are  foully  cast 
upon  us  whom  God  hath  raised  for  this  end,  and  gathered 
us,  that  by  us  he  might  confound  the  wisdom  of  the  wise, 
and  bring  to  naught  the  understanding  of  the  prudent ; 
and  might,  in  and  by  his  own  Spirit  and  power  in  a  des- 
pised people,  (that  no  flesh  might  glory  in  his  presence,) 
pull  down  that  dead,  dark,  corrupt  image  and  mere 
shadow  and  shell  of  Christianity  wherewith  Antichrist 
hath  deceived  the  nations;  for  which  end  he  hath  called 
us  to  be  a  first-fruits  of  those  that  serve  Him,  and  wor- 
ship Him  no  more  in  the  oldness  of  the  letter,  but  in  the 
newness  of  the  Spirit.  And  though  we  be  few  in  num- 
ber, in  respect  of  others,  and  weak  as  to  outward  strength, 
which  we  also  altogether  reject,  and  foolish  if  compared 
with  the  wise  ones  of  this  world ;  yet,  as  God  hath  pros- 
pered us,  notwithstanding  much  opposition,  so  will  He 
yet  do,  that  neither  the  art,  wisdom,  nor  violence  of 


24  BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  ROBERT  BARCLAY. 

men  or  devils  shall  be  able  to  quench  that  little  spark 
that  hath  appeared ;  but  it  shall  grow  to  the  consuming 
of  whatsoever  shall  stand  up  to  oppose  it.  The  mouth  of 
the  Lord  hath  spoken  it :  yea,  he  that  hath  arisen  in  a 
small  remnant  shall  arise  and  go  on  by  the  same  arm 
of  power  in  his  spiritual  manifestation,  until  he  hath 
conquered  all  his  enemies,  until  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth  become  the  kingdom  of  Christ  Jesus." 

CD 


No.  99. 

INCIDENTS 

the  life  of 
Solomon  Bayley 

FORMERLY  A  SLAYE. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
POLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  EMENDS, 
Xo.  30-1  Arch  Street. 

1887. 


INCIDENTS 

IN  THE 

Life  of  Solomon  Bay  ley. 


The  following  account  is  principally  extracted  from  Solomon 
Bayley's  own  description  of  his  trials  and  deliverances.  In 
reading  his  simple  narrative,  it  is  instructive  to  observe  how  he 
was  led  safely  through  dangers  and  difficulties,  by  attending  tc 
the  feelings  with  which  his  mind  was  impressed.  He  experi- 
enced the  happy  effects  of  obeying  the  exhortation,  "  Trust  in 
the  Lord  with  all  thine  heart  and  lean  not  unto  thine  own 
understanding." 

Solomon  says,  "  I  was  born  a  slave  in  the  state  of  Delaware, 
and  was  one  of  those  slaves  that  were  carried  out  of  Delaware 
into  the  state  of  Virginia ;  and  the  laws  of  Delaware  did  say, 
that  slaves  carried  out  of  that  state  should  be  free  ;  whereupon 
I  moved  to  recover  my  freedom.  I  employed  lawryers,  and 
went  to  court  two  days,  to  have  a  suit  brought  to  obtain  my 
freedom.  After  court  I  went  home  to  stay  until  the  next 
court,  which  was  about  six  weeks  off.  But  twro  days  before 
the  court  was  to  sit,  I  was  taken  up  and  put  on  board  of  a 
vessel  out  of  Hunting  Creek,  bound  to  Richmond  on  the 
western  shore  of  Virginia,  and  there  put  into  Richmond  jail, 
and  irons  were  put  on  me ;  and  I  wras  brought  very  low.  In 
my  distress  I  was  often  visited  with  some  symptoms  of  distrac- 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  SOLOMON  BAYLEY.  3 

tion.  At  length  I  was  taken  out  of  jail,  and  put  into  one  of 
the  back-country  wagons. 

"  On  the  third  day  my  distress  was  bitter,  and  I  cried  out 
in  my  heart,  '  I  am  past  all  hope  f  and  the  moment  I  said  I 
was  past  all  hope,  it  pleased  the  Father  of  all  mercy  to  look 
on  me,  and  He  sent  a  strengthening  thought  into  my  heart, 
which  was  this ;  that  He  that  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth, 
was  able  to  deliver  me.  I  looked  up  to  the  sky,  and  then  to  the 
trees  and  ground,  and  I  believed  in  a  moment,  that  if  He  could 
make  all  these,  He  was  able  to  deliver  me.  Then  did  that 
Scripture  come  into  my  mind,  which  I  had  heard  before,  and 
that  was,  '  they  that  trust  in  the  Lord,  shall  never  be  con- 
founded.' I  believed  that  was  a  true  word,  and  I  wanted  to 
try  that  word,  and  got  out  of  the  wagon ;  but  I  thought  I  was 
not  fit  to  lay  hold  of  the  promise ;  yet  another  thought  came 
into  my  mind,  and  that  was,  that  I  did  not  know  to  what 
bounds  his  mercy  would  extend.  I  then  made  haste  and  got 
out  of  the  wagon,  and  went  into  the  bushes ;  I  squatted  down 
to  see  what  would  follow.  Now  there  were  three  wagons  in 
company,  and  four  white  people ;  they  soon  missed  me,  and 
took  out  one  of  the  horses  and  rode  back,  and  were  gone  about 
three-quarters  of  an  hour,  and  then  returned,  and  put  the 
horse  in  the  wagon  again,  and  went  on  their  way ;  and  that  was 
the  last  I  ever  heard  or  saw  of  them.  I  sat  still  where  I  was 
till  night,  and  then  walked  out  into  the  road  and  looked  up  to 
the  sky,  and  I  felt  very  desolate.  Oh !  the  bitterness  of  dis- 
tress which  I  then  felt,  for  having  sinned  against  God ;  whom 
if  I  had  been  careful  to  obey  in  all  things,  He  would  have 
spared  me  all  my  troubles.  Oh !  it  is  a  dangerous  thing  to  cast 
off  fear,  and  to  restrain  prayer  before  God.  If  we  do  that 
which  we  believe  will  please  Him,  with  a  desire  to  obtain  his 
favor,  it  is  a  real  prayer ;  but  if  we  do  or  say  that  which  we 
believe  will  displease  Him,  that  is  to  cast  off  fear,  and  to  restrain 
prayer  before  Him. 


4 


INCIDENTS   IN  THE 


"  When  night  came  and  I  walked  out  of  the  bushes,  I  felt 
very  awful.  I  set  off  to  walk  homewards,  but  soon  was  chased 
by  dogs,  at  a  house  where  the  man  told  the  wagoner  he  had 
taken  up  a  runaway  three  days  before.  But  it  pleased  the 
Highest  to  send  out  a  dreadful  wind,  with  thunder  and  light- 
ning and  rain ;  which  was  the  means  by  which  I  escaped,  as 
I  then  thought,  as  I  travelled  along  that  night.  Next  day  I 
was  taken  with  the  dysentery,  which  came  on  so  bad,  I  thought 
I  must  die  ;  but  I  obtained  great  favor,  and  kept  on  my  feet, 
and  so  I  got  down  to  Richmond ;  but  had  like  to  have  been 
twice  taken,  for  twice  I  was  pursued  by  dogs. 

"  But  after  I  got  to  Richmond,  a  colored  man  pretended  to 
be  my  friend,  and  then  sent  white  people  to  take  me  up ;  but 
a  little  while  before  they  came,  it  came  expressly  into  my  mind 
that  he  would  prove  treacherous  and  betray  me.  I  obeyed  the 
impression  immediately,  and  left  the  place  I  was  in,  and  pre- 
sently there  came  with  clubs  to  take  me,  as  it  did  appear,  two 
white  men  and  a  colored  man.  When  I  saw  them  I  was  in  an 
hollow  place  on  the  ground,  not  far  from  where  the  colored 
man  left  me.  At  sight  of  them  I  was  struck  with  horror  and 
fear,  and  the  fear  that  came  into  my  soul,  took  such  an  im- 
pression on  my  animal  frame,  that  I  felt  very  weak.  I  cried 
to  the  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth  to  save  me,  and  He  did  so. 
I  lay  there  and  prayed  to  the  Lord,  and  broke  persimmon  tree 
bushes,  and  covered  myself.  When  night  came  on,  I  felt  as 
if  the  great  God  had  heard  my  cry.  Oh  !  how  marvellous  is 
his  loving  kindness  toward  men  of  every  description  and  com- 
plexion. Though  He  is  high,  yet  hath  He  respect  unto  the 
lowly,  and  will  hear  the  cry  of  the  distressed  when  they  call 
upon  Him,  and  will  make  known  his  goodness  and  his  power. 

"  I  lay  there  till  night,  and  then  with  great  fear  I  went  into 
the  town  of  Richmond,  and  inquired  the  way  over  the  river  to 
go  to  Petersburgh,  where  I  staid  near  three  weeks,  in  which 
time,  severe  and  painful  were  my  exercises :  I  appeared  to  be 


LIFE  OF  SOLOMON   BAY  LEY. 


a 


shut  up  in  such  a  straight  case,  I  could  not  see  which  way  to 
take.  I  tried  to  pray  to  the  Lord  for  several  days  together, 
that  He  would  be  pleased  to  open  some  way  for  me  to  get  along. 
And  I  do  remember,  that  when  I  was  brought  to  the  very 
lowest,  suddenly  a  way  appeared,  and  I  believe  it  was  in  the 
ordering  of  a  good  Providence. 

"  It  was  so ;  there  came  a  poor  distressed  colored  man  to 
the  same  house  where  I  had  taken  refuge ;  we  both  agreed  to 
take  a  craft,  and  go  down  James  River,  which  was  attended 
with  great  difficulty,  for  we  met  with  strict  examination  twice, 
and  narrowly  escaped  ;  we  had  like  to  have  been  drowned  twice, 
once  in  the  river  and  once  in  the  bay. 

"  We  got  safe  over  to  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Chesapeake 
Bay,  where  his  wife  and  mine  were.  And  now,  reader,  I  do 
not  tell  thee  how  glad  I  was,  but  will  leave  thee  to  judge,  by 
supposing  it  had  been  thy  own  case.  "We  landed  near  Xan- 
dew,  and  then  started  for  Hunting  Creek,  and  we  found  both 
our  wives ;  but  we  found  little  or  no  satisfaction,  for  we  were 
hunted  like  partridges  on  the  mountains. 

"  My  companion  got  to  work  on  board  of  a  vessel  to  get 
clams,  perhaps  to  get  some  money  to  bring  suit  for  his  freedom, 
(as  he  had  been  sold  like  me  out  of  the  state  of  Delaware,)  if 
his  master  should  come  after  him  from  the  back  countries, 
who  he  said,  lived  about  three  hundred  and  thirty  miles  from 
the  eastern  shore  ;  but  poor  fellow,  they  went  on  board  of  the 
vessel  where  he  had  been  at  work,  and  talked  of  taking  him 
up  and  putting  him  in  jail,  and  of  writing  to  his  master  in  the 
back  countries.  He  wras  said  to  tell  them,  that  he  had  rather 
die  than  to  be  taken  and  carried  away  from  his  wife  again ; 
and  it  was  said,  they  went  down  to  the  cabin  and  drank,  and  then 
came  up  on  deck  and  seized  him,  and  in  the  scuffle  he  slipped  out 
of  their  hands,  and  jumped  overboard  and  tried  to  swim  to  an 
island  that  was  not  far  off;  but  they  got  out  the  tow  boat  and 
went  after  him,  and  when  they  overtook  him,  he  would  dive 


6 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE 


to  escape,  and  still  he  tried  to  reach  the  island :  but  they 
watched  their  opportunity  as  he  rose,  when  they  struck  him 
with  the  loom  of  the  oar,  and  knocked  his  brains  out,  and  he 
died.  And  now,  reader,  consider  if  you  had  beeil  carried  away 
from  your  wife  and  children,  and  had  got  back  again  how 
hard  it  would  seem  to  be,  to  be  thus  chased  out  of  the  world. 
And  now,  readers,  you  have  heard  of  the  end  of  my  fellow- 
sufferer,  but  I  remain  as  yet,  a  monument  of  mercy,  thrown 
up  and  down  on  life's  tempestuous  sea;  sometimes  feeling  an 
earnest  desire  to  go  away  and  be  at  rest;  but  I  travel  on,  in 
hopes  of  overcoming  at  my  last  combat. 

"But  I  will  go  on  to  tell  of  my  difficulties.  After  I  came 
over  the  bay,  I  went  to  see  my  wife,  but  was  still  in  trouble, 
and  it  was  thought  best  to  leave  the  state  of  Virginia  and  go 
to  Dover,  and  then  if  my  master  came  after  me,  to  bring  suit 
at  Dover,  and  have  a  trial  for  my  freedom.  The  distance 
from  where  I  then  was  to  Dover,  was  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles ;  so  I  started  and  travelled  at  nights,  and  lay  by 
in  the  day  time.  I  went  on  northwards,  with  great  fear  and 
anxiety  of  mind.  It  abode  on  my  mind  that  I  should  meet 
with  some  difficulty  before  I  got  to  Dover ;  however  I  tried  to 
study  on  the  promises  of  the  Almighty,  and  so  travelled  on." 

One  morning  about  daybreak  he  stopped  at  a  house  to  in- 
quire the  way  to  Camden.  A  white  man  with  a  forbidding 
countenance  came  to  the  door  and  began  to  examine  him. 
Solomon  became  alarmed,  soon  bid  the  man  farewell  and 
passed  on.  After  going  some  distance  along  the  road,  he 
turned  aside  and  lay  down  in  a  thin  place  in  the  woods.  His 
mind  was  impressed  with  a  sense  of  impending  danger,  and 
yet  it  seemed  to  him  most  safe  to  remain  for  the  day  in  the 
spot  where  he  was.  As  he  sat,  with  his  attention  earnestly 
directed  towards  the  Lord,  waiting  for  Divine  instruction,  he  re- 
flected on  the  manner  in  which  he  had  been  led  along  since  he 
left  the  wagons  in  Virginia,  and  saw  that  the  Lord  had  helped 


LIFE  OF  SOLOMON  BAYLEY. 


7 


him  in  his  journey.  His  faith  was  renewed,  and  he  was  en- 
abled to  trust  in  the  continuance  of  the  same  Divine  protec- 
tion. Towards  noon  he  was  aroused  out  of  a  sleep  by  the 
noise  of  two  men  walking  through  the  woods,  apparently  in 
search  of  him.  One  of  these  was  the  man  at  whose  house  he 
had  stopped  in  the  morning.  They  went  to  and  fro  in  the 
woods  and  at  one  time  were  within  twenty  or  thirty  yards  of 
the  place  where  Solomon  was  lying,  with  little  to  hide  him 
from  their  view.  "  Then,"  he  says,  "  I  trembled  and  cried  in 
my  heart  to  the  Lord,  and  said,  'What  shall  I  do,  what  shall 
I  do,'  and  it  was  impressed  on  my  mind  immediately,  '  stand 
still  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord.' "  One  of  the  men 
stopped  and  appeared  to  look  directly  at  him,  but  passed  on 
without  observing  him.  Solomon  says,  "after  this,  my  under- 
standing was  opened  to  see  for  what  purpose  this  last  trial  had 
hapj)ened  unto  me:  and  it  was  impressed  on  my  mind  that  I 
had  come  through  difficulties  and  troubles,  in  order  that  my 
faith  and  confidence  might  be  tried  ;  and  that  I  might  be  made 
strong  in  the  faith  to  believe  that  so  high  and  holy  an  one, 
who  had  thus  marvellously  preserved  me,  would  hereafter  help 
so  poor  an  object  as  me,  out  of  his  great  mercy  and  conde- 
scension, and  that  I  might  be  afraid  again  to  sin  against  his 
majesty,  who  had  suffered  me  to  be  thus  sorely  tried,  that  I 
might  see  the  greatness  of  my  past  transgressions,  and  his 
boundless  loving-kindness  and  mercy." 

He  reached  Camden  in  the  state  of  Delaware,  on  the  24th 
of  the  Seventh  month,  1799.  His  master  came  soon  after  from 
Virginia,  and  they  compromised  the  dispute  between  them. 
Solomon  dropped  his  lawsuit,  and  his  master  sold  him  his 
freedom  for  eighty  dollars.  On  this  subject  he  remarked,  "  I 
went  to  work  and  worked  it  out  in  a  shorter  time  than  he 
gave  me,  and  then  I  was  free  from  man.  And  when  I  came 
to  think  that  the  yoke  was  off  my  neck,  and  how  it  was  taken 


8 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE 


off,  I  was  made  to  wonder,  and  to  admire  and  adore  the  order 
of  kind  Providence,  which  assisted  me  in  all  the  way." 

Notwithstanding  the  favors  he  had  received  from  his  Heav- 
enly Father,  Solomon  found  in  himself  a  disposition  to  wander 
from  the  path  of  life,  and  he  yielded  in  measure  to  its  prompt- 
ings. But  through  the  renewed  visitations  of  Divine  goodness, 
he  was.  brought  into  much  distress  of  mind  for  his  unfaithful- 
ness ;  and  the  shortness  of  time  and  the  length  of  an  awful 
eternity,  so  arrested  his  attention,  that  he  was  made  to  cry 
out  for  mercy  and  for  pardon  for  his  sins.  His  mind  was 
humbled  by  these  things  and  he  was  enabled  to  forsake  every 
forbidden  way  for  the  sake  of  peace  and  pardon.  The  distress 
and  fears  of  future  judgment  which  had  been  tormenting  him, 
were  removed,  and  he  was  enabled  to  praise  the  Lord  for  hi3 
mercy. 

Though  Solomon  had  now  obtained  his  freedom,  his  family 
were  still  slaves.  His  wife's  master  made  some  attempts  to 
sell  her  and  their  daughter,  an  infant  of  a  few  months  old,  to 
be  carried  away  into  the  back  settlements,  but  was  providen- 
tially hindered.  Solomon  remarks,  "At  the  same  time,  her 
master  and  I  were  both  on  one  class-paper,  [among  the  Metho- 
dists] which  made  it  very  trying  to  me  to  keep  up  true  love 
and  unity  between  him  and  me,  in  the  sight  of  God  ;  this  was 
a  cause  of  wrestling  in  my  mind ;  but  that  Scripture  abode 
with  me,  '  He  that  loveth  father  or  mother,  wTife  or  children 
more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me then  I  saw  it  became  me 
to  hate  the  sin  with  all  my  heart,  but  still  the  sinner  love."  He 
at  last  made  an  agreement  with  the  man,  purchased  his  wife  for 
about  one  hundred  dollars,  and  in  process  of  time  discharged 
the  debt.  He  had  still  one  child  in  bondage,  an  only  son, 
and  he  says,  "  having  worked  through  the  purchase  of  myself 
and  wife,  I  thought  I  would  give  up  my  son,  to  the  ordering 
of  divine  Providence.  So  we  worked  on  and  got  to  farming 
and  were  favored  so  that  we  did  not  fall  through  in  twelve  or 


LIFE  OF  SOLOMON  BAYLEY. 


9 


thirteen  year-,  renting  land  and  paying  up,  and  keeping  clear 
of  the  world. 

"  Now  the  reader  may  take  notice,  that  as  I  was  going  on 
thus,  my  son's  master  died :  and  his  property  had  to  be  sold, 
and  my  son  had  to  be  sold  as  the  other  property,  at  public 
sale ;  the  backwoods-men  being  come  over,  and  giving  such 
large  prices  for  slaves,  it  occasioned  a  great  concern  to  come 
over  my  mind ;  and  I  began  to  tell  my  concern  to  some  friends, 
white  and  colored,  rich  and  poor  ;  and  they  all  with  one  accord 
persuaded  me  to  buy  him,  that  is,  my  son  :  I  answered,  I  could 
have  no  heart,  because  he  was  appraised  at  the  death  of  his 
master  at  four  hundred  dollars ;  it  being  the  latter  end  of  the 
war  in  America,  1813,  and  the  times  dark  and  dull,  I  was 
much  afraid  to  attempt  to  buy  him ;  but  I  told  my  friends 
what  was  like  to  befall  me,  that  when  my  son  was  nine  months 
old,  then  I  was  sent  away  from  him,  as  I  told  the  reader  in 
the  beginning  of  my  journal,  and  then  I  went  through  a  fit  of 
distress,  and  now  he  is  like  to  be  sent  away  from  me,  and  then 
I  shall  have  to  go  through  another  fit,  and  it  will  seem  like 
double  trouble ;  but  my  friends  and  neighbors  continued 
pressing  it  on  me  to  meet  the  day  of  sale,  and  buy  him  ;  and 
finally  I  concluded  to  do  it,  and  met  the  day  of  sale. 

"  Then  the  crier  made  a  noise  in  the  court  yard,  before  the 
court  house  door,  and  said,  1  a  likely  young  negro  fellow  for 
sale,'  and  then  asked  for  a  bid ;  the  second  time  he  asked  for 
a  bid,  I  bid  two  hundred  dollars,  which  was  half  what  he  was 
appraised  to  at  the  death  of  his  master.  As  soon  as  I  ever 
had  bid  two  hundred  dollars,  the  man  I  feared  would  buy 
and  sell  him  to  the  back  country-men,  bid  three  hundred 
and  thirty-three  dollars  and  a  third,  which  was  thirty-three 
dollars  and  a  third  more  than  I  had  intended  to  bid,  which 
beat  down  all  my  courage.  But  a  thought  struck  me,  don't 
give  out  so,  so  don't ;  so  I  bid  a  shilling ;  then  the  same  man 
bid  twenty  dollars,  which  was  three  hundred  and  fifty-four 


10 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE 


dollars ;  at  that  I  sighed,  and  thought  I  must  give  him  up  aud 
let  him  go ;  but  a  thought  came  into  my  mind  to  bid  one  time 
more,  and  not  bid  any  more  if  he  went  to  the  West  Indies  ;  so 
I  bid  a  cent :  but  the  crier  said,  no  Solomon,  not  a  cent,  a 
shilling  ;  well  says  I,  let  it  go.  As  soon  as  my  bid  was  con- 
firmed, the  same  man  went  on,  and  I  gave  up  then.  My  son 
had  chosen  a  master,  a  justice  of  peace  in  town,  said  to  be  a 
good  master,  who  had  promised  me  before  the  sale  began,  that 
if  he  saw  me  give  up,  he  would  try  and  buy  him ;  so  he  began 
and  moved  him  up  to  three  hundred  and  fifty-seven  dollars, 
then  he  gave  up.  Then  three  great  men  who  had  agreed 
to  be  my  securities,  were  standing  by ;  one  of  them  was  a 
Methodist  preacher,  very  rich;  he  looked  at  me  as  if  he  pitied 
me,  and  when  he  saw  my  son  was  likely  to  go  off  the  wrong  way 
he  says,  '  three  shillings ;'  and  when  he  spoke  I  cried,  and 
turned  off,  and  went  and  leaned  against  the  court  house,  under 
a  weight  of  concern  ;  and  as  I  was  considering,  that  word  came 
into  my  mind,  '  this  is  their  hour  and  the  power  of  darkness/ 
so  I  gave  him  up  then.  Now  it  did  appear,  the  very  moment  I 
gave  him  up,  and  hope  left  me,  then  help  came ;  for  it  pleased 
the  Most  High,  who  pitieth  every  sorrowful  soul,  in  the  riches 
of  his  mercy,  to  look  on  two  young  men  that  were  acquainted 
with  me,  and  to  touch  their  hearts  with  such  a  sense  of  sympa- 
thy and  pity  towards  my  case  that  they  could  not  endure ; 
and  the  dear  young  neighbor  man,  a  great  man's  son,  says  to 
my  young  master,  who  were  both  standing  in  the  ring  looking 
on,  he  says,  '  I  had  rather  give  twenty  dollars  out  of  my  own 
pocket,  than  Solomon  should  not  get  him,  but  if  Solomon 
will  bid  once  more,  I  will  give  him  four  dollars ;'  my  young 
master  answered,  '  if  you  will  give  him  five  dollars,  I  will  give 
him  five  dollars,'  and  says,  '  let  us  go  and  tell  him ;'  so  they 
both  came  to  me,  as  I  was  leaning  against  the  court  house 
wall,  and  said  in  a  moving  tone,  '  Solomon,  if  you  will  bid 
one  more  bid,  we  will  give  you  five  dollars  apiece;'  I  turned 


L1FK   OF  SOLOMUX  BAYLFY. 


11 


round  and  says,  a  shilling,  which  was  a  shilling  upon  three 
hundred  and  sixty  dollars.  Then  a  great  man  said,  '  There, 
let  the  old  man  have  him,  he  is  his  son,  he  wants  him,  he  can 
get  security  f  so  they  kept  at  that  till  the  switch  went  down, 
so  he  was  knocked  off  to  me  at  three  hundred  and  sixty  dol- 
lars and  a  shilling.  Then  the  tender-hearted  young  man  that 
first  proposed  to  my  young  master,  went  into  the  store,  and 
brought  five  round  silver  dollars,  and  gave  to  me  in  the  office, 
where  I  went  to  sign  the  bond,  then  three  of  my  securities 
agreed  upon  the  spot,  to  make  me  up  twenty  dollars  at  the 
day  of  payment. 

"  By  this  time  I  got  raised  up  from  my  sadness,  and  went 
out  after  I  had  signed  the  bond,  so  much  revived  and  clothed 
with  such  a  spirit  of  faith  and  courage,  believing  a  way  would 
be  opened  for  me  to  get  through,  though  I  could  not  tell  how  ; 
but  as  I  came  out  of  the  office,  I  met  the  executor  and  admin- 
istrator, who  said  to  me, '  Well,  Solomon,  you  have  got  Spence 
after  all ;'  I  said,  1  Yes,  master  George,  but  I  gave  up,  and  if  it 
had  not  been  for  those  men  who  pitied  me,  and  who  did  as 
they  did,  I  never  should  have  got  him,  and  now  what  will  you 
give  me?'  He  put  his  hand  into  his  pocket,  and  pulled  out  a 
round  silver  dollar  and  gave  me,  which  caused  me  to  rejoice 
more  for  that  one  dollar  than  for  the  twenty  dollars  promised 
me  just  before  in  the  office." 

Solomon  afterwards  became  a  preacher  in  the  society  of 
which  he  was  a  member.  He  gives  the  following  account  of 
his  call  to  the  weighty  service  of  the  ministry.  "God  was 
pleased  to  pour  into  my  heart  a  measure  of  his  universal  love, 
and  when  my  heart  was  filled  with  love  towards  God  and 
good  will  towards  all  mankind,  then  a  longing  desire  that  all 
people  might  taste  and  see  the  riches  of  his  grace,  continued 
with  me  day  and  night :  then  a  strong  impression  to  go  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  and  speak  to  men  of  all  descriptions,  seemed 
to  be  required  of  me  Oh,  what  an  affecting  view 


12       INCIDENTS   I  N   THE  LIFE  OF  SOLOMON  BAY  LEV. 

of  the  worth  of  souls  came  into  my  mind,  and  I  thought  if  I 
could  be  made  instrumental  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  in  saving 
one  soul,  it  would  be  matter  of  rejoicing  to  all  eternity." 

During  a  part  of  his  life,  he  worked  at  the  trade  of  a  cooper, 
but  being  convinced  of  the  evils  arising  from  the  use  of  intox- 
icating liquors,  he  was  unwilling  to  make  casks  to  contain 
them,  and  accordingly  relinquished  his  business.  He  then 
engaged  as  a  laborer  in  husbandry  ;  and  while  thus  employed 
he  one  day  met  with  the  Governor  of  Delaware,  and  felt  a 
concern  to  address  him  on  the  great  responsibility  of  his  station 
and  the  importance  of  faithfully  performing  his  duties.  The 
governor  was  so  well  pleased  with  the  communication  that  he 
shortly  after  promoted  Solomon  to  the  oversight  of  one  of  his 
farms,  admitting  him  as  a  joint  sharer  of  the  profits. 

In  the  year  1830,  he  removed  to  Liberia.  He  afterwards 
came  over  to  this  country  on  a  visit,  but  soon  returned  to 
his  adopted  home.  In  1836,  accounts  were  received  from 
Liberia,  which  said  that  he  was  very  diligent  and  faithful  in 
his  calling,  laboring  both  for  the  souls  and  bodies  of  his 
brethren,  and  that  he  was  looked  up  to  as  a  father  and  coun- 
sellor by  the  people  generally.  We  do  not  know  the  particu- 
lars of  the  closing  hours  of  his  life,  but  according  to  the  latest 
information  received  concerning  him,  he  still  continued  a 
humble  Christian,  and  there  is  ground  to  hope  that  when  the 
time  came  for  him  to  die,  he  was  prepared  to  enter  into  the 
mansions  of  Heavenly  rest. 


X.o.  lOO. 

EXTRACTS 

FROM 

THE  WRITINGS 

OF 

y 

Isaac  .Pentngtox: 

ADDRESSED  TO 

SINCERE  ENQUIRERS  AFTER  TRUTH. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
I U  BUSH  ED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 


MEMOIR. 


The  following  brief  Memoir  of  the  Life  of  the  Author,  taken 
from  Authentic  Records, 

He  was  the  eldest  son  of  Isaac  Penington,  many  years  an 
alderman  of  Loudon,  and,  for  two  years  successively,  mayor  of 
the  city.  He  was  born  about  the  year  1617 :  his  education  was 
suitable  to  his  quality  amongst  men,  having  the  advantages  of 
the  schools  and  universities  of  his  own  country,  joined  with  the 
conversation  of  some  of  the  most  considerable  men  of  his  time. 
Hi  arrived  at  manhood  at  a  period  when  England  was  agitated 
with  the  tempest  of  civil  commotion,  by  means  of  the  discord 
between  Charles  I.  and  his  Parliament  ;  and  as  the  father  of 
Penington  Yfas  himself  a  warm  partisan,  in  a  conspicuous  sta- 
tion, and  intrusted  w7ith  concerns  of  considerable  importance, 
the  son,  had  his  temper  inclined  him,  might  probably  soon  have 
risen  to  eminence  in  the  republic.  But  he  refused  the  great- 
ness and  glory  of  the  world,  and  chose  rather  a  life  dedicated  to 
religion  and  retirement.  Having  received  impressions  of  piety 
very  early,  they  had  so  good  an  effect  upon  him,  that  he  was 
preserved  from  the  evils  of  the  age,  and  became  the  wonder  of 
his  kindred  and  familiars,  for  his  awful  life  and  frequent  retire- 
ments j  his  declining  company  that  might  interrupt  his  medita- 
tions, and  his  being  disposed  to  a  life  of  mourning.  Yet  this 
sorrow  did  not  flow  from  a  sense  of  former  vices,  for  he  was  in- 
clined to  virtue  from  his  childhood ;  but  with  Habakkuk,  from 
the  dread  h«  had  of  the  majesty  of  God,  and  his  desire  to  find 
a  resting-place  in  the  great  day  of  trouble.  In  the  midst  of 
which  exercises,  nothing  gave  him  ease  or  comfort  but  the 
smiles  of  God's  countenance  upon  his  soul. 

About  the  year  1618,  he  married  Mary,  the  widow  of  Sir 
William  Springett,  a  religious  woman ;  but  he  continued  in  a 
seeking  state  for  some  years  after ;  till  at  length  he  was  con- 
vinced of  the  principles  of  Truth  as  professed  by  the  people 
called  Quakers,  and  joined  himself  to  this  society  about  1G58, 
being  then  fortv-one  years  of  age.    Neither  his  worldly  station, 

(3  ) 


4 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS 


the  most  considerabl  J  of  any  that  had  closed  with  this  way,  nor 
the  debasement  it  brought  upon  his  learning  and  wisdom,  nor 
yet  that  reproach  and  loss  which  attended  his  public  espousing 
of  it,  did  deter  him  from  owning  and  embra-cing  it.  Thus  part- 
ing with  all,  he  received  a  new  stock  from  heaven,  wherein  the 
Lord  prospered  him ;  the  dew  of  heaven  rested  upon  his  branch 
and  root,  and  he  grew  rich  and  fruitful  in  heavenly  treasure,  full 
of  love,  patience,  and  long-suffering,  and  exemplary  in  his  duty 
to  God  and  men. 

As  it  was  given  to  him  to  believe  in  Christ,  so  he  had  also  to 
Buffer  for  his  sake ;  his  imprisonments  were  many,  and  some  of 
them  long,  which  he  underwent  with  great  constancy  and  quiet- 
ness of  mind;  first  in  the  year  1661,  in  Aylesbury  gaol,  for 
worshipping  God  in  his  own  house;  and  endured  great  hardship 
for  seventeen  weeks,  in  a  cold,  incommodious  room,  without  a 
chimney,  great  part  of  the  time  in  winter;  from  which  usage 
his  body  contracted  so  great  a  disorder,  that  for  several  weeks 
after  he  was  not  able  to  turn  himself  in  his  bed.  He  was  im- 
prisoned five  times  after  this,  on  account  of  his  religious  profes- 
sion ;  and  being  of  a  tender  constitution,  was  in  danger  of  losing 
his  life  from  the  hardship  he  endured.  Thus  through  many 
tribulations  did  he  enter  the  kingdom,  having  been  long  exer- 
cised, tried,  and  approved  of  the  Lord.  As  his  outward  man 
grew  in  j-ears,  his  inward  man  grew  in  grace  and  the  knowledge 
of  his  Redeemer ;  for  it  was  observable  among  them  that  knew 
him  in  his  declining  time,  that  when  the  candle  of  his  natural 
life  burnt  dimmer,  his  soul  waxed  stronger,  and,  like  a  replen- 
ished lamp,  shone  with  greater  lustre;  his  profession  being 
adorned  by  a  life  of  piety  and  virtue,  and  the  constant  practice 
of  what  he  recommended  to  others.  Many  were  the  gifts  God 
honoured  him  with,  which  he  made  use  of,  to  the  praise  of  the 
great  giver.  Being  thus  fit  to  live,  he  was  prepared  to  die, 
which  was  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  age,  in  the  8th  month, 
1679. 

[See  Testimonies  prefixed  to  his  original  Works. 


This  truly  experienced  man  having  given  some  brief  sketches  of  the 
deep  exercises  and  conflicts  which  his  soul  passed  under,  in  his  search 
after  and  attainment  of  the  knowledge  of  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the 
life,  it  may  be  acceptable  and  instructive  to  many,  thus  to  view  and 
ponder  his  steps,  as  expressed  in  his  own  language. 

My  heart  from  my  childhood  was  pointed  towards  the  Lord, 
whom  I  feared  and  longed  after,  from  my  tender  years ;  wherein 
I  felt  that  I  could  not  be  satisfied  with,  nor  indeed  seek  after, 


OF  ISAAC  PEXINGTOX.  5 

r.hfi  things  of  this  perishing  world,  which  natural ij  pass  away ; 
but  I  desired  true  sense  of,  and  unity  with,  that  which  abideth 
for  ever.  There  was  somewhat,  indeed,  then  still  within  me, 
even  the  seed  of  eternity,  which  leavened  and  balanced  my  spirit 
almost  continually;  but  I  knew  it  not  distinctly,  so  as  to  turn 
to  it,  and  give  up  to  it  entirely  and  understandingly. 

In  this  temper  of  mind  I  earnestly  sought  after  the  Lord, 
applying  mj'sclf  to  hear  sermons,  and  read  the  best  books  I 
could  meet  with,  but  especially  the  Scriptures,  which  were  very 
sweet  and  savoury  to  me.  Yea,  I  very  earnestly  desired,  and 
pressed  after  the  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  but  was  much 
afraid  of  receiving  men's  interpretations  of  them,  or  of  fastening 
any  interpretation  upon  them  myself;  but  waited  much,  and 
prayed  much,  that  from  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  I  might  receive 
the  true  understanding  of  them,  and  that  he  would  chiefly  endue 
me  with  that  knowledge  which  I  might  feel  sanctifying  and 
saving.  And  indeed  I  did  sensibly  receive  of  his  love,  of  his 
mercy,  and  of  his  grace,  which  I  felt  still  freely  to  move  to- 
wards me  ;  and  at  seasons  when  I  was  most  filled  with  the 
sense  of  my  own  uuworthiness,  and  had  least  expectations  of 
the  manifestation  of  them. 

But  I  was  exceedingly  entangled  about  Election  and  Repro- 
bation, having  drank  in  that  doctrine,  according  as  it  was  then 
held  forth  by  the  strictest  of  those  that  were  termed  Puritans  ; 
and  as  then  seemed  to  be  very  manifest  and  positive,  from  Rum. 
ix.,  &c,  fearing  lest,  notwithstanding  all  in)'  desires  and  seek- 
ings  after  the  Lord,  he  might  in  his  decree  have  passed  me  by; 
and  I  felt  it  would  be  bitter  to  me  to  bear  his  wrath,  and  be 
separated  from  his  love  for  evermore :  yet,  if  he  had  so  decreed, 
it  would  be,  and  I  should,  notwithstanding  these  fair  beginnings 
and  hopes,  fall  away  and  perish  at  last.  In  this  great  trouble 
«'».nd  grief,  which  was  much  added  to  by  not  finding  the  Spirit 
of  God  so  in  me,  and  with  me,  as  I  had  read  aud  believed  the 
former  Christians  had  it,  and  in  mourning  over  and  in  grappling 
with  secret  corruptions  aud  temptations,  I  spent  many  years, 
and  fell  into  great  weakness  of  bod}-;  and  often  casting  myself 
upon  my  bed,  did  wring  my  hands  and  weep  bitterly,  begging 
earnestly  of  the  Lord  daily,  that  I  might  be  pitied  by  him,  hnd 
helped  against  my  enemies,  and  be  made  conformable  to  tho 
image  of  his  Son,  by  his  own  renewing  power.  And  indeed  at 
last,  when  my  nature  was  almost  spent,  and  the  pit  of  despair 
was  even  closing  its  mouth  upon  me,  mercy  sprang,  and  deliver- 
ance came,  and  the  Lord  my  God  owned  me,  and  scaled  his  love 
unto  me,  and  light  sprang  within  me;  which  made  not  onlj-  the 
Scriptures,  but  the  very  creatures,  glorious  in  my  eyes ;  so  thai 


6 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS 


every  thing  was  sweet  and  pleasant,  and  lightsome  round  about 
nie.  But  I  soon  felt  that  this  estate  was  too  high  and  gloricua 
for  me,  and  I  was  uot  able  to  abide  in  it,  it  so  overcame  my 
natural  spirits.  Wherefore,  blessing  the  name  of  the  Lord  for 
his  great  goodness  to  me,  I  prayed  unto  him  to  take  that  from 
me  which  1  was  not  able  to  bear ;  and  to  give  me  such  a  pro- 
portion of  his  light  and  presence  as  was  suitable  to  my  present 
state,  and  might  fit  me  for  his  service.  Whereupon  this  was 
presently  removed  from  me ;  yet  a  savour  remained  with  roe, 
wherein  I  had  sweetness,  and  comfort,  and  refreshment,  for  a 
long  season. 

But  my  mind  did  not  then  know  how  to  turn  to,  and  dwell 
with  that  which  gave  me  the  savour ;  nor  rightly  to  read  what 
God  did  daily  write  in  my  heart;  which  sufficiently  manifested 
itself  to  be  of  him,  by  its  living  virtue,  and  pure  operation  upon 
me.  But  I  looked  upon  the  Scriptures  to  be  my  rule,  and  so 
would  weigh  the  inward  appearances  of  God  to  me  by  what  wao 
outwardly  written  ;  and  durst  not  receive  anything  from  God 
immediately,  as  it  sprang  from  the  fountain,  but  only  in  that- 
mediate  way.  Herein  did  I  limit  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  and 
exceedingly  hurt  my  own  soul,  as  I  afterwards  felt,  and  came  to 
understand.  Yet  the  Lord  was  tender  to  me,  and  condescended 
exceedingly,  opening  Scriptures  to  me  freshly  every  day,  teach- 
ing and  instructing,  warming  and  comforting  my  heart  thereby. 
And  truly  he  did  help  me  to  pray,  and  to  believe,  and  to  love 
him  and  his  appearances  in  any ;  yea,  to  love  all  the  sons  of 
men,  and  all  his  creatures,  with  a  true  love.  But  that  in  me, 
which  knew  not  the  appearances  of  the  Lord  in  my  spirit,  but 
would  limit  him  to  words  of  Scriptures  formerly  written, — that 
proceeded  yet  further,  and  would  be  raising  a  fabric  of  know- 
ledge out  of  the  Scriptures,  and  gathering  a  perfect  rule,  as  I 
thought,  concerning  my  heart,  my  words,  my  ways,  my  worship ; 
and  according  to  what  I  thus  drank  in,  after  this  manner  from 
the  Scriptures,  I  practised,  and  with  much  seriousness  of  spirit, 
and  prayer  to  God,  fell  a  helping  to  build  up  an  independent 
congregation,  wherein  the  savour  of  life  aud  the  presence  of 
God  was  fresh  with  me ;  as  I  believe  there  are  some  yet  alive, 
of  that  congregation,  can  testify.*  This  was  my  state,  when  I 
was  smitten,  broken,  and  distressed  by  the  Lord,  confounded  in 

*  In  another  part  of  his  writings,  wherein  he  alludes  to  this  particular 
season,  he  says,  "  But  there  was  somewhat  wanting,  and  we  mistook  our 
way,  for  whereas  we  should  have  pressed  forward  into  the  spirit  and 
power,  we  ran  too  much  outward  into  the  letter  and  form  ;  and  though 
the  Lord  in  many  things  helped  us,  yet  therein  he  was  against  us,  tint 
brought  darkness,  confusion,  and  scattering  upon  us." 

No.  100.- 1* 


OF  ISAAC  PEXISGTOX.  ~ 


7 


my  worship,  confounded  in  my  knowledge,  stripped  of  all  in  one 
day,  which  it  is  hard  to  utter,  and  was  matter  of  amazement  to 
all  that  beheld  me.  I  lay  open  and  naked  to  all  that  would  in- 
quire of  me,  and  strive  to  search  out  what  might  be  the  cause 
the  Lord  should  deal  so  with  me.  They  would  at  first  be  jeal- 
ous that  I  had  sinned,  and  provoked  him  so  to  do  ;  but  when 
they  had  scanned  things  thoroughly,  and  I  had  opened  my  heart 
nakedly  to  them,  I  do  not  remember  any  one  that  ever  retained 
that  sense  concerning  me.  My  soul  remembereth  the  wormwood 
and  gall,  the  exceeding  bitterness  of  that  state,  and  is  still  hum- 
bled in  me,  in  the  remembrance  of  it  before  the  Lord.  Oh  ! 
how  did  I  wish,  with  Job,  that  I  might  come  before  him,  and 
bowmgly  plead  with  him  ;  for  indeed  I  had  no  sense  of  any 
guilt  upon  me,  but  was  sick  of  love  towards  him,  and  as  one 
violently  rent  from  the  bosom  of  his  beloved  !  Oh,  how  gladly 
would  1  have  met  with  death  !  For  I  was  weary  all  the  day 
long,  aud  afraid  of  the  night;  and  weary  also  of  the  night  sea- 
sou,  and  afraid  of  the  ensuing  day.  T  remember  my  grievous 
and  bitter  mournings  to  the  Lord.  How  often  did  I  say,  Oh, 
Lord,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?  Why  hast  thou  broken  me 
to  pieces  ?  I  had  no  delight  hut  thee.  J\Iy  ligart  was  bent 
wholly  to  serve  thee,  and  thou  hast  even  fitted  me,  as  appeared 
to  my  sense,  by  many  deep  exercises  and  experiences  for  thy 
service.     Why  dost  thou  make  me  thus  miserable  ? 

Sometimes  I  would  cast  mine  eye  upon  a  scripture,  and  ray 
heart  would  even  melt  within  me.  At  other  times,  I  would 
desire  to  pray  to  my  God  as  I  had  formerly  done ;  but  I  fouud 
I  knew  him  not,  and  I  could  not  tell  how  to  pray,  or  in  any 
wise  to  come  near  him,  as  I  had  formerly  done.  In  this  condi- 
tion, I  wandered  up  and  down,  from  mountain  to  hill,  from  one 
sort  to  another,  with  a  cry  in  my  spirit,  Can  ye  tell  news  of 
my  beloved?  Where  cloth  he  dwell?  Where  doth  he  appear? 
But  their  voices  were  still  strange  to  me;  and  I  would  retire 
sad  and  oppressed,  and  bowed  down  in  spirit  from  them.  For 
truly  I  can  say,  I  had  not  been  capable  of  so  much  misery  as 
my  soul  lay  in,  for  many  years,  had  not  my  love  been  so  deep 
and  true  towards  the  Lord  my  God,  and  my  desires  so  great 
after  the  seusible  enjoyment  of  his  spirit,  according  to  the  pro- 
raise  and  way  of  the  Gospel.  Yet  this  I  can  also  say,  in  up- 
rightness of  heart,  it  was  not  gifts  I  desired,  to  appear  and  shine 
before  raeu  in ;  but  grace  and  holiness,  and  the  spirit  of  the 
Lord  dwelling  in  rae,  to  act  my  heart  by  his  grace,  and  to  pre- 
serve me  in  holiness.  Now  surely,  all  serious,  sober,  sensible 
people,  will  be  ready  to  inquire  how  I  came  satisfyingly  to  know 
the  Lord  at  length ;  or  whether  I  do  yet  certainly  know  him. 


8 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS 


and  am  yet  truly  satisfied.  Yes,  indeed,  T  am  satisfied  at  my 
very  heart.  Truly  my  heart  is  united  to  him  whom  I  longed 
after,  in  an  everlasting  covenant  of  pure  life  and  peace.  Well 
then,  how  came  this  about  ?  will  some  say.  Why  thus :  the 
Lord  opened  my  spirit.  The  Lord  gave  me  the  certain  and 
sensible  feeling  of  the  pure  seed,  which  had  been  with  me  from 
the  beginning.  The  Lord  caused  his  holy  power"  to  fall  upon 
me,  and  gave  me  such  an  inward  demonstration  and  feeling  of 
the  seed  of  life,  that  I  cried  out  in  my  spirit,  This  is  he,  (his  is 
he,  there  is  not  another,  there  never  was  another.  He  was  aU 
ways  near  me  though  J  knew  him  not,  not  so  sensibly,  not  so 
distinctly,  as  now  he  was  revealed  in  me,  and  to  me  by  the 
Father.  O  that  I  might  now  be  joined  to  him,  and  he  alone 
might  live  in  me  !  And  so,  in  the  willingness  which  God  had 
wrought  in  me,  in  this  day  of  his  power  to  my  soul,  I  gave  up 
to  be  instructed,  exercised  and  led  by  him,  in  the  waiting  for 
and  feeling  of  his  holy  seed,  that  all  might  be  wrought  out  of 
me  which  could  not  live  with  the  seed,  but  would  be  hindering 
the  dwelling  and  reigning  of  the  seed  in  me,  while  it  remained 
and  had  power.  And  so  1  have  gone  through  a  sore  travail  and 
fight  of  afflictions  and  temptations  of  many  kinds ;  wherein  the 
Lord  hath  been  merciful  to  me,  in  helping  me,  and  preserving 
the  spark  of  life  in  me,  in  the  midst  of  many  things  which  had 
befallen  me,  whose  nature  tended  to  quench  and  extinguish  it. 
Now,  the  Lord  knows,  these  things  I  do  not  utter  in  a  boasting 
way;  but  would  rather  be  speaking  of  my  nothingness,  my  empti- 
ness, my  weakness,  my  manifold  infirmities,  which  I  feel  more 
than  ever.  The  Lord  hath  broken  the  man's  part  in  me,  and  I 
am  a  worm  and  no  man  before  him.  I  have  no  strength  to  do 
any  good  or  service  for  him ;  nay,  I  cannot  watch  over  or  pre* 
serve  myself.  I  feel  daily,  that  I  keep  not  alive  my  own  soul , 
but  am  weaker  before  men,  yea  weaker  in  my  spirit,  as  in  my- 
self, than  ever  I  have  been.  But  I  cannot  but  utter  to  the 
praise  of  my  God,  and  I  feel  his  arm  stretcned  out  for  me ;  and 
my  weakness,  which  I  feel  in  myself,  is  not  my  loss,  but  advan 
tage  before  him.  And  these  things  I  write,  as  having  no  end 
at  all  therein  of  my  own,  but  felt  it  required  of  me ;  and  so  in 
submission  to  my  God,  have  I  given  up  to  do  it,  leaving  the 
success  and  service  of  it,  with  him. 

Now,  thus  having  met  with  the  true  way,  and  walked  with 
the  Lord  therein,  wherein  daily  certainly,  yea,  and  full  assurance 
of  faith  and  of  understanding  is  at  length  obtained,  I  cannot  be 
silent,  true  love  and  pure  life  stirring  in  me,  and  moving  me, 
but  am  necessitated  to  testify  of  it  to  others ;  and  this  is  it : — 
to  retire  inwardly  and  wait  to  feel  somewhat  of  the  Lord.  sv>me- 


OF  ISAAC  PENINGTOX. 


9 


trhzt  of  his  hnly  Spirit  and  power;  discovering  and  drawing 
from  that  which  is  contrary  to  him,  and  into  his  holy  nature  and 
heavenly  image.  And  then,  as  the  mind  is  joined  to  this,  some- 
what is  received,  some  true  life,  some  true  light,  some  true  dis- 
cerning; which  the  creature  not  exceeding,  but  abiding  in  the 
measure  of,  is  safe.  But  it  is  easy  erring  from  this,  but  hard 
abiding  with  it,  and  not  going  before  its  leadings.  But  he  that 
feels  life,  and  begins  in  life,  doth  he  not  begin  safely  ?  And  he 
that  waits  and  fears,  and  goes  on  no  further  than  his  captain 
goes  before  him,  doth  he  not  proceed  safely  ?  Yea,  very  safely, 
even  till  he  cometh  to  be  so  settled  and  established  in  the  virtue, 
demonstration,  and  power  of  Truth,  as  nothing  can  prevail  to 
shake  him.  Now,  blessed  be  the  Lord,  there  are  many  at  this 
day,  who  can  truly  and  faithfully  witness,  that  they  have  been 
brought  by  the  Lord  to  this  state.  And  thus  have  we  learned 
of  the  Lord :  to  wit,  not  by  the  high  striving,  aspiring  mind ; 
but  by  lying  low,  and  being  contented  with  a  little.  If  but  a 
crumb  of  bread,  (yet  if  bread,)  if  but  a  drop  of  water,  (yet  if 
water,)  we  have  been  contented  with  it,  and  also  thankful  to  the 
Lord  for  it :  nor  by  thoughtfulness,  and  wise  searching,  and  deep 
considering  with  our  own  wisdom  and  reason  have  we  obtained 
it;  but  in  the  still,  meek,  and  humble  waiting,  have  we  found 
that  brought  into  the  death,  which  is  not  to  know  the  mysteries 
of  God's  kingdom  ;  and  that  which  is  to  live,  made  alive,  and 
increase  in  life.  Therefore  he  that  would  truly  know  the  Lord, 
let  him  take  heed  of  his  own  reason  and  understanding.  I  tried 
this  way  very  far,  for  I  considered  most  seriously  and  uprightly. 
I  prayed,  I  read  the  Scriptures,  I  earnestly  desired  to  understand 
and  find  out,  whether  that  which  this  people,  called  Quakers, 
testified  of,  was  the  only  way  and  truth  of  God,  as  they  seemed 
to  me  but  to  pretend ;  but  for  all  this,  prejudices  multiplied 
upon  me,  and  strong  reasonings  against  them,  which  appeared 
to  me  as  unanswerable.  But  when  the  Lord  revealed  his  seed 
in  me,  and  touched  my  heart  therewith,  which  administered  true 
life  and  virtue  to  me,  I  presently  felt  them  there,  the  children 
of  the  Most  High,  and  so  grown  xfp  in  his  life,  power,  and  holy 
dominion,  (as  the  inward  eye,  being  opened  by  the  Lord,  sees,) 
as  drew  forth  from  me  great  reverence  of  heart,  and  praises  to 
the  Lord,  who  had  so  appeared  among  men,  in  these  latter  days. 
And  as  God  draweth,  in  any  respect,  oh  !  give  up  in  faithfulness 
to  him.  Despise  the  shame,  take  up  the  cross;  for  indeed  it  is 
a  way  which  is  very  cross  to  man,  and  which  his  wisdom  will 
exceedingly  be  ashamed  of;  but  that  must  be  denied  and  turned 
from,  and  the  secret,  sensible  drawings  of  God's  spirit  waited 
for,  and  given  up  to.    Mind  people,  he  that  will  come  into  the 


10 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS 


new  covenant,  must  come  into  the  obedience  of  it.  The  light 
of  life,  which  God  hath  hid  in  the  heart,  is  the  covenant;  ana 
from  this  covenant  God  doth  not  give  knowledge,  to  satisfy  the 
vast,  aspiring,  comprehending  wisdom  of  man  ;  but  living  know- 
ledge, to  feed  that  which  is  quickened  by  him  ;  which  knowledge 
is  given  in  the  obedience,  and  is  very  sweet  and  precious  to  the 
state  of  him  that  knows  how  to  feed  upon  it.  Yea,  truly,  this 
is  of  a  very  excellent,  pure,  precious  nature ;  and  a  little  of  it 
weighs  down  that  great,  vast  knowledge,  in  the  comprehending 
part,  Which  man's  spirit  and  nature  so  much  prizeth  and  presseth 
after. 

And  truly,  friends,  I  witness  at  this  day,  a  great  difference 
between  the  sweetness  of  comprehending  the  knowledge  of 
things,  as  expressed  in  the  Scriptures,  (this  I  fed  much  on  for- 
merly,) and  tasting  the  hidden  life,  the  hidden  manna  in  the 
heart,  which  is  my  food  now,  blessed  forever  be  the  Lord,  my 
God  and  Saviour.  Oh  !  that  others  had  a  true,  certain  and  sen- 
sible taste  of  the  life,  virtue,  and  goodness  of  the  Lord,  as  it  is 
revealed  there  !  Surely  it  could  not  but  kindle  the  true  hunger, 
and  inflame  the  true  thirst ;  which  can  never  be  satisfied  but  by 
the  true  bread,  and  by  water  from  the  living  fountain.  This 
the  Lord,  in  the  tenderness  of  his  love,  and  in  the  riches  of  his 
grace  and  mercy  hath  brought  us  to;  and  this  we  earnestly  and 
uprightly  desire  and  endeavour,  that  others  may  be  brought  to 
also ;  that  they  may  rightly  in  the  true  silence  of  the  flesh,  and 
in  the  pure  stillness  of  spirit,  wait  for,  and  in  the  Lord's  due 
time,  receive  that  which  answers  the  desire  of  the  awakened 
mind  and  soul,  and  satisfies  it  with  the  true,  precious  substance, 
forevermore.  Amen. 

Oh  !  I  have  known  it  to  be  a  bitter  thing  to  follow  this  wis- 
dom [carnal  wisdom]  in  understanding  of  Scriptures,  in  remem- 
bering of  Scriptures,  in  remembering  of  experiences,  and  in 
many  more  inward  ways  of  workings,  that  many  cannot  bear  to 
hear.  The  Lord  hath  judged  me  for  that,  and  I  have  borne  the 
burden  and  condemnation  of  that,  which  many  at  this  day  wear 
as  their  crown.  And  now,  wliat  am  I  at  length  ?  A  poor  worm  ! 
Whom  can  I  warn  effectually?  Whom  can  I  help  ?  Whom  can 
I  stop  from  running  into  the  pit  ?  But  though  I  am  nothing,  I 
must  speak,  for  the  Lord  draweth  and  moveth  me;  and  how 
unserviceable  soever  my  pity  be,  yet  my  bowels  cannot  but  roll, 
both  towards  those  that  are  in  misery,  and  those  that  are  running 
into  misery. 

I  am  a  lover  of  mankind  in  general,  and  have  been  a  deep 
sufferer  with  and  travailer  for,  all  the  miserable.  None  knows 
the  path  of  my  sorrows,  or  the  extent  of  my  bowels,  but  he  that 


OF  ISAAC  PEXIXGTOX. 


11 


made  me.  It  is  not  natural,  or  kindly  to  me,  to  upbraid  an\ 
man  with  any  kind  of  wickedness,  or  ever  so  justly  deserved 
misery ;  but  my  bowels  work  concerning  him  towards  the  spring 
of  eternal  power  and  compassions :  even  as  I  would  be  pitied, 
and  represented  to  the  Father  of  mercies  in  the  like  condition. 
Indeed  I  have  been  emptied  from  vessel  to  vessel,  and  tossea 
with  multitudes  of  storms  and  tempests;  yet  the  savour  of  my 
life  remaineth  with  me  to  this  day,  and  the  Spirit  of  my  God 
breathed  on  my  heart;  blessed  be  his  holy  name  forever!  And 
though  I  walk  with  one  sort  of  people,  because  my  heart  saith, 
yea,  the  Spirit  of  the  eternal  God  hath  witnessed  unto  me  and 
shown  me  in  that  light  which  cannot  be  deceived,  that  they  are 
the  people,  whom  he  hath  chosen  out  of  all  the  gatherings 
throughout  the  earth,  from  the  apostacy,  to  manifest  his  power 
in,  and  his  presence  among  :  I  say,  though  I  have  been  guided, 
and  led  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  to  walk  among  these ;  yet  I 
am  not  bounded  there,  either  in  the  love,  or  in  the  unity  of  my 
heart;  but  I  have  unity  with  the  integrity  and  zeal  for  God 
which  is  in  others,  of  wThat  sort  or  gathering  soever;  and  I  have 
tender  bowels  for  all,  even  for  those  which  hate  and  persecute 
that  which  is  my  life,  and  hath  the  love  of  my  heart  forever. 
Oh  !  how  have  I  prayed  for  the  lost  world  !  For  all  the  souls 
of  mankind  :  how  hath  my  soul  bowed  in  unutterable  breathings 
of  spirit  before  my  God,  and  could  not  be  silenced,  until  he 
quieted  my  spirit  in  the  righteousness  and  excellency  of  his  will, 
and  bid  me  leave  it  to  him. 


Of  Certainty,  and  Rightly  Grounded  Assurance  in  Matters 
of  Religion . 

There  is  a  witness  of  and  from  God,  in  every  conscience ; 
which  in  his  light,  power,  and  authority,  witnesseth  for  him,  and 
against  that  which  is  contrary  to  him,  as  he  pleaseth  to  move 
upon  it,  visiting  and  drawing  the  hearts  of  the  sons  of  men  by 
it.  From  this  witness  proceeds  the  true  and  well  grounded  re- 
ligion in  the  mind  towards  God ;  for  this  witness  both  testifieth 
and  demonstrated  that  there  is  a  God,  and  also  inclineth  the 
mind  to  desire  and  seek  after  the  right  knowledge  and  true  wor- 
ship of  him.  And  such  who  keep  to  this  witness,  and  wait  upon 
God  therein,  are  taught  by  it,  the  true  spiritual  worship ;  the 
true  and  pure  fear  of  the  Most  High;  the  faith  which  he  giveth 
to  his  saints;  the  love  which  is  chaste  and  unfeigned;  the  hope 
which  purifieth  the  mind  and  anchors  it  on  the  eternal  rock; 
the  meekness,  patience,  gentleness,  humility,  &c.  which  is  not 


12 


EXTRACTS  F.ROM  THE  WRITINGS 


man's  nature,  but  the  gift  of  God,  and  the  nature  of  the  heavenly 
Giver. 

And  then  for  exercises  of  religion,  as  praying  to  the  Father 
of  spirits,  hearing  the  heavenly  voice,  reading  in  the  spirit,  and 
with  the  renewed  understanding,  singing  and  making  melody  in 
the  heart  to  the  Lord,  as  his  life  is  felt,  and  the  spiritual  bless- 
ings and  treasure  received ;  all  these,  and  whatever  else  is  judged 
necessary  for  the  soul,  are  taught  by  this  witness  of  God  in  the 
conscience,  as  the  soul  groweth  up  in  the  light,  spirit,  nature, 
and  holy  power  thereof.  But  now  when  the  Lord  reacheth  to 
his  witness  in  men,  and  is  teaching  their  hearts  by  it,  then  the 
enemy,  the  other  spirit,  whose  seat  is  in  the  other  part,  keepeth 
a  noise  there  to  overbear  the  voice  of  the  witness,  and  to  make 
men  take  up  a  religion  in  another  part,  which  is  shallow,  and 
reacheth  not  to  the  depth  and  weight  of  truth,  which  is  in  the 
witness  of  God,  and  which  the  witness  of  God,  gives  to  them 
that  come  thither. 

Thus,  the  enemy  stirreth  up  reasonings,  imaginations,  and 
consultations,  about  God,  and  his  worship;  wherein  he  raiseth 
up  the  vain,  shallow  mind,  forging  and  bringing  forth  somewhat 
pleasing  and  suitable  to  the  earthly  understanding ;  taking  up 
the  mind  therewith,  and  engaging  the  heart  in  some  such  prac- 
tices therefrom,  as  may  quiet  and  satisfy  that  part  in  men.  For 
the  ways  that  men  take  up  in  their  reasonings  and  understand- 
ings, satisfy  their  reasonings  and  understandings;  and  so  they 
walk  in  the  light  of  the  sparks,  and  warm  themselves  by  the  fire 
of  their  own  kindling ;  but  all  this  answers  not  the  witness  of 
God  in  them,  nor  will  be  approved  by  his  light  in  their  own 
consciences,  when  it  conies  again  to  be  revealed  and  made  mani- 
fest in  them.  This  was  the  ground  of  the  error  both  of  the 
Jews  and  Gentiles. 

Now,  from  this  part  in  man  ariseth  all  the  uncertainty,  and 
doubts,  and  dissatisfaction  about  religion.  And  hence  arise  the 
opinions,  and  judgments,  and  reasonings,  in  the  minds  of  men  : 
yea,  indeed,  the  best  of  men's  religion  here,  is  but  an  opinion 
or  judgment,  which  the  breath  of  God's  Spirit  will  shake  and 
dissolve  every  where,  sooner  or  later.  All  flesh  is  grass;  and 
all  the  beauty  of  men's  knowledge,  religion,  and  worship  here, 
will  wither  like  grass.  All  the  buildings  and  churches  that  are 
raised  here,  how  beautiful  soever,  are  but  Babylon,  built  by 
man's  understanding,  by  man's  knowledge,  by  man's  compre- 
hension,  by  man's  wisdom,  by  man's  skill,  and  indeed  in  man's 
will  and  time;  and  their  standing,  beauty,  strength  and  glory, 
is  but  from  man,  and  in  man's  day,  and  will  fade  away  like  a 
flower.    But  the  true  certainty  is  in  the  day  of  God,  from  the 


OF  ISAAC  PEX1XGTON. 


13 


light  of  his  Spirit  shining  into  man's  spirit,  from  God's  inward 
reaching  to  his  heart  by  his  power,  and  testifying  his  truth  there. 
A.nd  this,  all  the  powers  of  darkness  cannot  prevail  against  in 
itself;  no,  nor  against  that  man  that  is  kept  to  it.  For  it  is 
the  rock,  the  only  rock  upon  which  the  whole  church  is  built, 
and  which  cannot  fail  to  preserve  every  member  of  the  church 
which  is  built  upou  it 


Extracts  from  an  Article  entitled,  "Some  Directions  to  the 
Panting  Soul." 

"  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour,  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me,  for  I  am  meek 
and  lowly  in  heart,  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls;  for  my  yoke 
is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light." 

In  the  Gospel,  which  is  "  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation," 
is  the  soul's  rest.  It  is  the  doctrine  of  the  kingdom,  wherein 
is  life,  joy,  peace,  and  everlasting  rest  to  the  soul  in  God. 
Christ  hath  plainly  pointed  out  the  path  of  his  rest  to  every 
weary,  panting  soul,  which  he  that  walketh  in,  cannot  miss  of. 
He  hath  made  the  way  plain  in  the  gospel;  so  plain,  that  the 
way-faring  man,  though  a  fool,  yet  keeping  to  the  light  of  the 
gospel,  cannot  err  therein,  or  miss  of  the  blessed  rest  thereof. 
How  is  it?  Why,  "come  unto  me;  take  my  yoke  upon  you, 
and  learn  of  me."  He  that  walketh  in  this  path,  cannot  miss 
of  it:  the  rest  is  at  the  end  of  it,  nay,  the  rest  is  in  it:  u  he 
that  belie veth,  entereth  into  the  rest."  The  true  faith,  the 
faith  which  stands  in  the  power,  and  which  is  given  to  the  birth 
which  is  born  from  above,  is  the  substance  of  the  rest  hoped  for, 
and  there  is  a  true  taste  and  some  enjoyment  of  it  given  to  him 
that  truly  believeth. 

There  is  no  rest  to  the  soul  to  be  enjo}'ed  in  the  gospel  from 
under  the  yoke.  This  stands  eternally  :  that  which  3Tokes  down 
that  which  would  be  at  ease  and  liberty  out  of  the  life,  that  is 
the  soul's  true  rest;  there  is  no  other;  and  under  the  yoke  it  is 
enjoyed,  and  not  otherwise  ;  only  when  that  which  is  to  be  yoked 
down,  is  consumed  and  destroyed,  it  is  then  no  longer  a  yoke, 
but  perfect  liberty.  But  the  same  thing  which  is  the  liberty, 
is  the  yoke ;  and  under  the  3*oke,  the  sweetness,  the  ease,  the 
lighrsomeness,  the  safe  possession  of  the  life  is  enjoyed.  Mark 
this  therefore  diligently  :  the  yoke  is  not  one  thing,  and  the 
liberty  another  ;  but  one  and  the  same.  The  power  of  God,  the 
life  everlasting,  the  pure  light,  the  divine  nature,  is  a  yoke  to 
the  transgressing  nature ;  but  it  is  the  ease,  the  pleasure,  thp 


14  EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS 


rest,  the  peace,  th  joy,  the  natural  centre  of  that  which  is  born 
,f  God. 

Ah  !  do  not  iu  ngine  an 'I  talk  away  the  rest  and  salvation  of 
thy  soul.  The  gospel-stace  is  a  state  of  substance,  a  state  of  en- 
joying the  life,  a  state  of  feeling  the  presence  and  power  of  the 
Lord  in  his  pure  Holy  Spirit,  a  state  of  binding  up,  a  state  of 
healing,  a  state  of  knowing  the  Lord,  and  walking  with  him  in 
the  light  of  his  own  Spirit.  It  begins  in  a  sweet,  powerful  touch 
of  life ;  and  there  is  a  growth  in  the  life,  in  the  power,  in  the 
divine  virtue,  in  the  rest,  peace,  and  satisfaction  of  the  soul  in 
God,  to  be  administered  and  waited  for  daily.  Now  art  thou 
here,  in  the  living  power,  in  the  divine  life,  joined  to  the  spring 
of  life,  drawing  water  of  life  out  of  the  well  of  life  with  joy  : 
Or  art  thou  dry,  dead,  barren,  sapless,  or  at  best  but  unsatis- 
fiedly  mourning  after  what  thou  wantest. 

Well,  ye  that  are  dry,  dead,  barren,  as  it  were  without  tli3 
living  God,  that  know  not  the  shining  of  his  sun,  nor  the  de- 
scending of  his  dews  from  <^n  high  on  his  tend  ;r  plants,  nor  the 
care,  diligence,  and  circumspection  of  the  husbandman  over  I'is 
husbandry :  Oh  !  wait  for  the  quickening  virtue,  for  the  visita- 
tions of  the  day-spring  from  on  high  !  that  ye  may  be  quickened 
again  to  God,  that  ye  may  find  his  life  visiting  you,  his  Spirit 
breathing  upon  you,  that  the  seed  of  Jacob  may  be  raised  in 
you,  to  travel  out  of  this  barren  state,  even  out  of  this  land  of 
darkness,  and  from  under  the  shadow  of  death,  to  the  land  where 
life  lives  and  flourishes,  and  daily  distributeth  plentiful  nourish- 
ment and  refreshment  to  all  its  offspring,  who  are  taught  to  wait 
for  it,  and  to  feed  on  it  in  the  holy  place,  out  of  the  sight  of 
the  eye  of  the  fleshly  wisdom. 

"  Strait  is  the  gate,  narrow  is  the  way,  that  leadeth  unto  life, 
and  few  there  be  that  find  it."  The  way  of  unbelief  is  broad, 
yea,  the  way  of  belief  is  broad  also.  It  is  easy  for  a  man  so  to 
believe  concerning  Christ,  or  in  Christ,  as  his  heart  may  call  it, 
as  to  miss  of  the  nature  of  the  true  faith,  and  of  the  sweet  and 
blessed  effects  which  accompany  it.  It  is  one  thing  to  mourn 
after  a  gospel-state,  but  another  thing  to  be  brought  into  it  by 
the  power.  With  my  heart  I  own  those  that  mourn  after,  and 
feel  the  want  of  God,  wherever  they  are )  but  this  I  know  cer- 
tainly, that  they  can  never  come  to  the  enjoyment  of  him,  but 
in  that  living  path  which  the  Scriptures  testify  of,  to  be  in  him 
who  is  the  life,  and  which  his  Spirit  is  now  found  manifestly 
leading  into:  blessed  be  his  name. 

Thou  that  wouldst  enjoy  thy  beloved,  and  feel  the  rest  of  his 
gospel,  and  walk  in  that  path  which  leads  thereto,  wait  to  learn 
of  the  Spirit. 


OP  ISAAC  PENIKGTOH". 


15 


1.  Know  what  it  is  that  is  to  walk  in  the  path  of  life,  and 
indeed  is  alone  capable  of  walking  therein.  It  is  that  which 
groans,  and  which  mourns;  that  which  is  begotten  of  God  in 
thee.  The  path  of  life  is  for  the  seed  of  life.  The  true  know- 
ledge of  the  way,  with  the  walking  in  the  way,  is  reserved  for 
God's  child,  for  God's  traveller.  Therefore  keep  in  the  regen- 
eration, keep  in  the  birth  ;  be  no  more  than  God  hath  made 
thee.  Give  over  thine  own  willing;  give  over  thine  own  run- 
ning; give  over  thine  own  desiring  to  kuow,  or  to  be  any  thing, 
and  sink  down  to  the  seed  which  God  sows  in  the  heart;  and 
let  that  grow  in  thee,  and  be  in  thee,  and  breathe  in  thee,  and 
act  in  thee,  and  thou  shalt  find  by  sweet  experience,  that  the 
Lord  knows  that,  and  loves  and  owns  that,  and  will  lead  it  to 
the  inheritance  of  life,  which  is  his  portion.  And  as  thou  takest 
up  the  cross  to  thyself,  and  sufferest  that  to  overspread  and  be- 
come a  yoke  over  thee,  thou  shalt  become  renewed,  and  enjoj 
life,  and  everlasting  inheritance  in  that. 

Watch  against  the  selfish  wisdom,  in  every  step  of  thy  growth, 
and  in  every  spiritual  motion,  that  that  come  not  between  thev 
and  thy  life ;  that  that  deceive  thee  not  with  a  likeness,  a  shadow, 
making  it  appear  more  pleasing  to  the  eye  than  the  substancb. 
Every  step  of  thy  way  it  will  be  laying  baits  for  thee;  an<2 
it  is  easy  for  deceit  to  enter  thee  at  any  time,  and  for  thaw 
wisdom  to  get  up  in  thee  under  an  appearance  of  spiritual  wis- 
dom, unless  the  Lord  tenderly  and  powerfully  preserve  thee  . 
aud  if  it  prevail,  it  will  lead  thee  from  the  path  of  true  wisdom , 
It  will  cozen  thee  with  a  false  faith,  instead  of  the  true  faith ; 
with  false  praying  instead  of  the  breathings  of  the  true  child ; 
with  diligence  and  zeal  in  thy  false  way,  instead  of  the  true  zeal 
and  diligence ;  yea,  it  will  hurry  thee  on  in  the  path  of  error, 
shutting  that  eye  in  thee,  which  should  see,  and  hardening  thy 
heart  against  thy  bosom  friend. 

Let  nothing  judge  in  thee,  concerning  thine  own  heart,  or 
concerning  others,  or  concerning  any  way  or  truth  of  God,  but 
only  the  begotten  of  God  in  the  heart.  Let  the  light  in  which 
thou  art  begotten  to  God,  and  which  shines  upon  his  begotten, 
be  the  only  judge  in  thee,  and  then  thou  canst  not  err  in  judg- 
ment. Be  not  hasty,  be  not  forward  in  judgment;  keep  back  to 
the  life,  still  waiting  for  the  appearance  and  openings  of  the  life. 
A  few  steps,  fetched  in  the  life  and  power  of  God,  are  much  si.i'er 
and  sweeter  than  a  hasty  progress  in  the  hasty,  forward  spirit. 

Indeed  this  is  true  religion,  to  feel  God  beginning  the  work, 
tjd  to  wait  on  him  for  his  carrying  it  on.  The  feeling  of  God'a 
Spirit  beginning  somewhat  in  the  heart,  the  heart's  waiting  on 
Lira  for  more  of  his  Spirit,  and  walking  with  him  in  his  Spirit, 


16 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS 


as  he  pleaseth  to  quicken,  lead,  draw,  and  strengthen ;  this  is 
the  spiritual  and  true  religion  :  and  there  is  no  duty  or  ordi- 
nance of  the  gospel  out  of  the  Spirit :  but  it  is  easy  crying  up 
and  observing  the  likeness  of  any  of  them  out  of  the  Spirit,  into 
which  observance,  a  strange  spirit  easily  enters;  and  then  that 
which  was  of  God  in  the  heart,  soon  withers,  and  a  contrary 
building  is  raised,  and  the  state  of  the  heart  changed.  Oh  ! 
wait  on  the  Lord,  that  he  may  give  you  to  understand  these 
things;  for  the  apostacy  from  God  is  very  deep,  and  most  pro- 
voking where  it  is  most  inward  and  spiritual. 

Quest.  But  how  may  I  know  and  keep  to  the  begotten  of 
God,  and  to  the  light  and  power  of  the  Lord,  and  keep  down 
the  fleshly  wisdom  and  comprehension  concerning  the  things  of 
God? 

Ans.  When  God  begets  life  in  the  heart,  there  is  a  savour  of 
it  in  thy  vessel,  and  a  secret,  living  warmth  and  virtue,  which 
the  heart  in  some  measure  feels,  whereby  it  is  known.  Lie  low 
in  the  fear  of  the  Most  High,  that  this  leaven  may  grow  and 
increase  in  thee.  This  is  the  leaven  of  the  kingdom ;  this  is  it 
which  must  change  thy  heart  and  nature,  and  make  thy  vessel, 
which  perhaps  hath  been  long  and  much  corrupted,  fit  to  receive 
the  treasure  of  the  kingdom.  Now  while  the  savour  is  upon 
thee,  while  the  virtue  of  the  life  is  fresh  in  thee,  thou  findest 
some  strength  towards  God,  with  some  little  taste  and  discerning 
of  the  things  of  his  kingdom.  Know  thy  weakness,  and  go  not 
beyond  thy  measure ;  but  in  what  thou  hast  received,  bow  be- 
fore the  fulness,  worship  God  in  that,  and  be  patient  in  what  he 
exercises  thee  withal,  waiting  for  more  from  him.  And  when 
tiie  night  comes  upon  thee,  and  thou  perhaps  art  at  a  loss,  miss- 
ing the  savour  and  presence  of  the  life,  and  not  knowing  how  to 
come  by  it  again,  be  patient  and  still,  and  thou  wilt  find  breath- 
ings" after  a  fresh  visitation,  and  a  meek,  humble,  broken  spirit 
before  the  Lord.  Thou  wilt  see  thou  canst  do  nothing  to  re- 
cover his  presence  again;  nay,  thou  canst  not  so  much  as  wait 
for  him,  or  breathe  after  him,  without  his  help;  but  he  is  nigh 
to  the  poor,  nigh  to  the  broken,  nigh  to  the  distressed,  nigh  to 
the  helpless.  Oh  !  do  not,  with  thy  fleshly  cries  and  roarings, 
think  to  awaken  thy  beloved  before  his  season;  but,  in  the  night 
of  distress,  feel  after  somewhat  which  may  quiet  and  stay  thy 
heart  till  the  next  springing  of  the  day.  The  sun  will  arise, 
which  will  scatter  the  clouds;  and  he  is  near  thee,  who  will 
give  thee  to  hope  that  thou  shalt  yet  see  God,  and  find  again 
the  quickenings  and  leadings  of  his  Spirit.  And  in  the  day  of 
his  power,  thou  wilt  find  strength  to  walk  with  him;  yea,  in  tb« 
day  of  thy  weakness  his  grace  will  be  sufficient  for  thee;  and  lie 


OF  ISAAC  PENIKGTON. 


17 


will  irirtmo  thc2  up  in  his  life  by  his  pure  Spirit,  causing  thoe 
to  grow  under  his  shadow ;  and  he  will  be  teaching  thee  to  live, 
and  to  speak,  and  to  move,  and  act  from  the  principle,  and  within 
the  compass  of  his  light  and  life  eternal.  Only  be  not  wise  to 
natch  the  notion  of  things  into  the  earthly  part,  where  the  moth 
can  corrupt,  and  where  the  thief  can  break  through  and  steal; 
but  know  the  divine  treasury,  where  all  the  things  of  life  are 
treasured  up  by  the  Spirit,  and  handed  forth  to  the  living  child, 
with  fresh  life  according  to  its  need  of  them.  And  thus  thy 
heart  being  kept  close  to  God,  and  thy  spiritual  senses  contin- 
ually exercised  about  the  things  of  God,  it  will  be  easy  to  thee 
to  know  the  Shepherd's  voice,  and  to  distinguish  the  sound  0/ 
the  Spirit  in  thine  own  heart.  The  beginning  of  life  eternal  i= 
in  a  higher  principle  than  man  can  come  at.  Man's  wisdom  and 
knowledge  of  the  things  of  God,  is  but  brutish  before  it.  As 
thou  comest  into  that  principle,  abidest  and  growest  in  that  prin- 
ciple, thou  art  beyond  man's  judgment,  and  art  able  to  judge 
ui'.n,  and  fathom  his  wThole  course  as  with  a  span. 


Extracts  from  a  Treatise,  "Concerning  the  Worship  of  the 
Living  God." 

As  the  worship  is  spiritual,  so  is  the  place  where  it  is  to  be 
cffercd.  It  is  to  be  offered  in  the  spirit;  that  is  the  place. 
])ivers  living  stones,  meeting  together,  every  one  retiring  in 
spirit  into  the  living  name,  into  the  power  which  begat  them, 
they  all  meet  in  one  and  the  same  place,  in  one  and  the  same 
power,  in  one  and  the  same  fountain  of  life ;  and  here  they  bow 
down  to  the  Father  of  life,  offering  up  living  sacrifices  to  him, 
and  feeding  in  the  rich  pastures  of  his  infinite  fulness. 

Quest.  What  is  the  worship,  or  what  are  the  sacrifices,  which 
the  true  worshippers  offer  up  to  God  in  this  holy  place? 

Arts.  The  gifts  of  his  spirit.  These  they  offer  up,  and  nothing 
else.  The  breathings  which  the  Father  gives  into  the  heart  of 
the  child,  they  are  breathed  back  unto  him,  in  the  same  spirit 
of  life;  in  the  living  sense,  in  the  quickening  power.  Nothing 
of  man's  wisdom,  nothing  of  man's  invention,  nothing  according 
to  man's  will,  nothing  that  would  please  the  flesh,  or  seem  glo- 
rious in  its  eye,  is  offered  up  here;  but  the  exhortations,  or 
directions,  or  reproofs  that  spring  up  in  God's  light,  in  God' a 
wisdom,  they  are  given  forth  in  the  leadings,  and  by  the  gui- 
dance of  his  Spirit,  and  they  reach  to  the  hearts  of  those  to 
whom  he  pleaseth  to  direct  them. 

The  seasons  of  the  true  worship  stand  iu  the  will  of  GchL 


18 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS 


They  are  gifts,  and  the  time  of  them  stands  in  the  will  of  the 
giver.  Prayer  is  a  gift..  A  man  cannot  pray  when  he  will ; 
but  he  is  to  watch  and  to  wait,  when  the  Father  will  kindle  in 
him  living  breathings  towards  himself.  So  the  word  of  God, 
whether  of  exhortation  or  instruction,  is  a  gift,  which  is  to  be 
waited  for,  and  then  to  be  given  forth  in  the  life  and  strength 
of  that  Spirit  which  caused  it  to  spring.  Indeed  it  is  an  hard 
matter  either  to  speak  the  word  of  the  Lord,  or  to  hear  aright 
the  word  of  the  Lord.  A  man  may  easily  speak  what  he 
invents,  and  another  may  easily  hear  and  judge  of  such  words; 
but  to  speak  the  word  of  life,  requires  the  tongue  of  the  learned 
in  the  language  of  God's  Spirit ;  and  to  hear  the  word  of  life, 
requires  a  quickened  ear;  and  to  know  the  times  and  seasons  of 
the  Spirit,  requires  both  being  begotten  of  the  Spirit,  and  being 
acquainted  with  it. 

Our  worship  is  a  deep  exercise  of  our  spirits  before  the  Lord, 
which  doth  not  consist  in  an  exercising  the  natural  part  or 
natural  mind,  either  to  hear  or  speak  words,  or  in  praying 
according  to  what  we  of  ourselves  can  apprehend  or  compre- 
hend concerning  our  needs;  but  we  wait,  in  silence  of  the 
fleshly  part,  to  hear  with  the  new  ear  what  God  shall  please  to 
speak  inwardly  in  our  own  hearts,  or  outwardly  through  others, 
who  speak  with  the  new  tongue,  which  he  unlooseth,  and 
teacheth  to  speak ;  and  we  pray  in  the  Spirit,  and  with  the  new 
understanding,  as  God  pleaseth  to  quicken,  draw  forth,  and 
open  our  hearts  towards  himself.  Thus  our  minds  being  gath- 
ered into  the  measure,  or  gift  of  grace,  which  is  by  Jesus 
Christ,  here  we  appear  before  God ;  and  here  our  God  and  his 
Christ  is  witnessed  in  the  midst  of  us.  This  is  that  gathering 
in  the  name,  which  the  promise  is  to;  where  we  meet  together, 
waiting  with  one  consent  on  the  Father  of  life,  bowing  and  con- 
fessing to  him  in  the  name  of  his  Son  ;  and  that  fleshly  part, 
that  fleshly  understanding,  that  fleshly  wisdom,  tUat  fleshly  will, 
which  will  not  br^-  iss  p.lmuied  down  and  kept  under  by  the 
power  of  life,  which  God  stretcheth  forth  over  it,  and  subdueth 
it  by. 


Silent  Meetings. 

This  is  a  great  mystery,  hid  from  the  eye  of  man,  who  is  run 
from  the  inward  life  into  outward  observations.  He  cannot  see 
either  that  this  is  required  by  the  Lord  of  his  people,  or  any 
edification  therein,  or  benefit  thereby ;  but  to  the  mind  that  is 
drawn  inward,  the{  thing  is  plain;  and  the  building  up  hereby 


OF  ISAAC  PENIS  GTON. 


19 


in  the  life  of  God,  and  fellowship  one  with  another  therein,  is 
sweetly  felt ;  and  precious  refreshment  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  received  by  them,  who  singly  herein  wait  upon  him  ac- 
cording to  the  leadings  and  requirings  of  his  Holy  Spirit. 

After  the  mind  is  in  some  measure  turned  to  the  Lord,  his 
quickenings  felt,  his  seed  beginning  to  arise  and  spring  up  in  the 
heart,  then  the  flesh  is  to  be  silent  before  him,  and  the  soul  to 
wait  upon  him,  and  for  his  further  appearings,  in  that  measure 
of  life  which  is  already  revealed. 

Now  in  this  measure  of  life,  which  is  of  Christ,  an/1  in  which 
Christ  is,  and  appears  to  the  soul,  there  is  the  power  of  life  and 
death  ;  power  to  kill  to  the  flesh,  and  power  to  quicken  to  God ; 
power  to  cause  the  soul  to  cease  from  its  own  workings,  and 
power  to  work  in  and  for  the  soul,  what  God  requires,  and  what 
is  acceptable  in  his  sight.  And  in  this,  God  is  to  be  waited 
upon  and  worshipped  continually,  both  in  private  and  in  public, 
according  as  his  Spirit  draws  and  teaches. 

Fo/  the  Lord  requireth  of  his  people,  not  only  to  worship  him 
apart,  but  to  meet  together  to  worship  him ;  and  they  that  are 
taught  of  him  dare  not  forsake  the  assembling  of  themseives 
together,  as  the  manner  of  some  is;  but  watch  against  the 
temptations  and  snares,  which  the  enemy  lays  to  deceive  them 
therefrom,  and  to  disturb  their  sense  by,  that  they  might  not 
feel  the  drawings  of  the  Father  thereuuto. 

And  this  is  the  manner  of  their  worship.  They  are  to  wait 
upon  the  Lord,  to  meet  in  the  silence  of  flesh,  and  to  watch  for 
the  stirrings  of  his  life,  and  the  breaking  forth  of  his  power 
amongst  them.  And  in  the  breakings  forth  of  that  power,  they 
may  pray,  speak,  exhort,  rebuke,  &c,  according  as  the  Spirit 
teaches,  requires,  and  gives  utterance.  But  if  the  Spirit  do  not 
require  to  speak,  and  give  to  utter,  then  every  one  is  to  sit  still 
in  his  place, — in  his  heavenly  place  I  mean, — feeling  his  own 
measure,  feeding  thereupon,  receiving  therefrom,  into  his  spirit, 
what  the  Lord  giveth.  Now  in  this  is  edifying,  pure  edifying, 
precious  edifying ;  his  soul  who  thus  waits,  is  hereby  particu- 
larly edified  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  at  every  meeting.  And 
theu  also  there  is  the  life  of  the  whole  felt  in  every  vessel  that 
is  turned  to  its  measure  ;  insomuch  as  the  warmth  of  life  in  each 
\e_-sel  doth  not  only  warm  the  particular,  but  they  are  like  an 
heap  of  fresh  and  living  coals,  warming  one  another,  insomuch 
as  a  great  strength,  freshness,  and  vigour  of  life  flows  into  all 
And  if  any  be  burthened,  tempted,  buffeted  by  Satan,  bowed 
down,  overborne,  languishing,  afflicted,  distressed,  &c,  the 
estate  of  such  is  felt  in  spirit,  and  secret  cries,  or  open,  as  the 
Lord  pleaseth,  ascend  up  to  the  Lord  for  them;  and  they,  macy 


20 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS 


times  find  ease  and  relief  in  a  few  words  spoken,  or  without 
words,  if  it  be  the  season  of  their  help  and  relief  with  the  Lord. 

For  absolutely  silent  meetings,  wherein  there  is  a  resolution 
not  to  speak,  we  know  not;  but  we  wait  on  the  Lord,  either  to 
feel  him  in  words,  or  in  silence  of  spirit  without  words,  as  he 
pleaseth.  And  that  which  we  aim  at,  and  are  instructed  to  by 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  as  to  silent  meetings,  k,  that  the  flesh  in 
every  one  be  kept  silent,  and  that  there  be  no  building  up,  but 
in  the  Spirit  and  power  of  the  Lord. 

Now  there  are  several  states  of  people  :  some  feel  little  of  the 
Lord's  presence,  but  feel  temptations  and  thoughts,  with  many 
wanderings  and  rovings  of  mind.  These  are  not  yet  acquainted 
with  the  power,  or  at  least  know  not  its  dominion,  but  rather 
feel  dominion  of  the  evil  over  the  good  in  them  :  and  this  is  a 
sore  travailing  and  mournful  state ;  and  meetings  to  such  as 
these,  many  times,  may  seem  to  themselves  rather  for  the  worse 
than  for  the  better.  Yet  even  these,  turning,  as  much  as  may 
be,  from  such  things,  and  cleaving,  or  at  least  in  truth  of  heart 
desiring  to  cleave,  to  that  which  disliketh  or  witnesseth  against 
them,  have  acceptance  with  the  Lord  herein ;  and  continuing  to 
wait  in  this  trouble  and  distress,  keeping  close  to  meetings  in 
fear  and  subjection  to  the  Lord  who  requireth  it,  though  with 
little  appearing  benefit,  do  reap  an  hidden  benefit  at  present,  and 
shall  reap  a  more  clear  and  manifest  benefit  afterwards,  as  the 
Lord  wasteth  and  weareth  out  that  in  them,  wherein  the  dark- 
ness hath  its  strength. 

God  is  to  be  worshipped  in  spirit,  in  his  own  power  and  life, 
and  this  is  at  his  own  disposal.  His  church  is  a  gathering  in 
the  Spirit.  If  any  man  speak  there,  he  must  speak  as  the 
oracle  of  God,  as  the  vessel  out  of  which  God  speaks;  as  the 
trumpet  out  of  which  he  gives  the  sound.  Therefore  there  is 
to  be  a  waiting  in  silence,  till  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  move  to 
speak,  and  also  to  give  words  to  speak.  For  a  man  is  not  to 
speak  his  own  words,  or  in  his  own  wisdom  or  time ;  but  the 
Spirit's  words,  in  the  Spirit's  wisdom  and  time,  which  is  when 
he  moves  and  gives  to  speak.  Yea,  the  ministry  of  the  spirit 
and  life  is  more  close  and  immediate  when  without  words,  than 
when  with  words,  as  has  been  often  felt,  and  is  faithfully  testi- 
fied by  many  witnesses.  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard, 
neither  hath  entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  how,  and  what 
things  God  reveals  to  his  children  by  his  Spirit,  when  they 
Avait  upon  him  in  his  pure  fear,  and  worship  and  converse  with 
him  in  spirit ;  for  then  the  fountain  of  the  great  deep  is  unsealed, 
and  the  everlasting  springs  surely  give  up  the  pure  and  living 
water. 


OF  ISAAC  PEXIXGTON. 


21 


Prayer. 

True  prayer  is  the  breathing  of  I  be  child  to  the  l  ather  which 
begat  it,  from  the  sense  of  its  wants,  for  the  supply  of  those 
wants.  "  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  nearest 
the  sound  thereof;  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  and 
whither  it  goeth ;  so  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit." 
John  iii.  8.  God,  by  the  breath  of  his  Spirit,  begets  a  man 
out  of  the  spirit  and  likeness  of  this  world,  into  his  own  image 
and  likeness.  He  that  is  thus  begotten,  wants  nourishment, 
wants  divine  warmth,  the  breasts  of  consolation,  the  clothing  of 
the  Spirit,  the  garment  of  salvation  j  wants  the  bread  of  life  to 
feed  on ;  wants  the  water  of  life  to  drink  j  wants  strengtn 
against  the  enemy's  assaults,  wisdom  against  his  snares  and 
temptations ;  wants  the  arm  of  the  Deliverer  to  preserve  and 
carry  on  the  work  of  redemption  daily;  wants  faith  to  deny  the 
fleshly  wisdom,  that  so  he  may  trust  and  feel  the  virtue  of  the 
?rm  of  the  Deliverer  j  wants  hope,  patience,  meekness,  a  clear 
guidance,  an  upright  heart  to  follow  after  the  Lord ;  yea,  very 
many  are  the  daily  wants  of  that  which  is  begotten  by  the 
breath  of  God,  in  its  state  of  weakness,  until  it  be  drawn  up 
into  the  unity  of  the  body,  where  the  full  communion  with  the 
life  is  felt,  the  heart  satisfied,  and  the  wants  drowned. 

Now  the  breathing  of  this  child  to  the  Father  from  the  sense 
of  these  wants  for  his  supply,  that  is,  prayer;  nay,  though  it  be 
but  a  groan,  or  sigh,  which  cannot  be  uttered,  or  expressed;  yet 
that  is  prayer,  true  prayer,  which  hath  an  acceptance  with  the 
Lord,  and  receiveth  a  gracious  answer  from  him.  In  watching 
daily  to  the  Spirit,  the  child  is  kept  sensible  of  the  will  of  the 
Father,  and  in  his  light  he  sees  the  way  wherein  he  is  to  walk 
he  sees  also  the  enemy  when  he  is  coming,  yea,  and  the  snares 
he  is  privily  laying,  and  he  feels  his  own  weakness  to  withstand 
or  escape :  and  in  this  sense  his  heart  cries  to  the  Father  of 
spirits  for  preservation.  And  thus  watching  to  the  Spirit,  the 
life  of  a  Christian  is  a  continual  course  of  prayer;  he  pray* 
continually. 

Now  as  the  Father  teacheth  to  pray,  so  he  giveth  desires  or 
words,  if  he  please,  according  to  the  present  need.  Sometimes 
he  gives  but  ability  to  sigh  or  groan ;  if  he  gives  no  more,  he 
accepts  that.  Sometimes  he  gives  strong  breathings  and  plenty 
of  words  to  pour  out  the  soul  in  before  the  Lord.  But  if  a  man 
should  catch  those  words,  and  lay  them  up  against  another 
time,  and  offer  them  up  to  God  in  his  own  will,  this  would  be 
but  will-worship  and  abomination.  This  I  have  known  experi- 
mentally, and  have  felt  the  wrath  of  God  for  it.    That  io  prayer, 


EXTRACTS  FItOM  THE  WHITINGS 


which  conies  fresh  from  the  Spirit ;  and  that  is  a  true  desire 
which  the  Spirit  begets;  but  the  affections  and  sparks  of  man's 
kindling  please  not  the  Lord,  nor  do  they  conduce  to  the  soul's 
rest,  but  will  end  in  the  bed  of  sorrow.  Now,  if  the  prayer  be 
in  words, — for  there  is  a  praying  without  words, — then  it  must  be 
in  those  words  which  he  pleaseth  to  give,  from  the  sense  which 
he  kindleth,  and  not  in  the  words  which  man's  wisdom  teach- 
eth,  or  would  choose  to  use.  And  indeed  in  the  true  religion, 
and  in  every  exercise  of  it,  man's  wisdom  is  kept  out,  aud 
nailed  to  the  cross;  by  which  meaus,  the  immortal  life  is  raised, 
and  grows  in  the  true  disciple. 

So  mark:  prayer  is  wholly  out  of  the  will  of  the  creature, 
wholly  out  of  the  time  of  the  creature,  wholly  out  of  the  power 
of  the  creature ;  in  the  Spirit  of  the  Father,  who  is  the  fountain  of 
life,  and  giveth  forth  breathings  of  life  to  his  child  at  his 
pleasure. 


Concerning  the  Cross  of  Christ. 

This  I  have  experienced  concerning  the  Cross  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ;  that  it  is  an  inward  and  spiritual  thing,  pro- 
ducing inward  and  spiritual  efFectc  in  the  mind  ;  and  that  this  is 
it,  even  that  which  slays  the  enmity  in  the  mind,  and  crucifies 
to  the  world,  and  the  affections  thereof.  "  God  forbid,"  said 
the  Apostle,  "  that  I  should  glory,  save  in  the  cross  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  whereby  the  world  is  crucified  unto  me,  and 
I  unto  the  world."  Now  mark ;  that  which  is  contrary  to  the 
world,  and  crucifies  to  the  world,  that  is  the  cross.  The 
cross  hath  this  power,  and  nothing  else;  and  so  there  is  nothing 
else  to  glory  in.  The  wisdom  of  God  is  contrary,  and  a  foolish 
thing  to  the  wisdom  of  man.  Yea,  the  new  creature,  which 
springs  from  God's  Holy  Spirit,  is  contrary  and  death  to  the 
old.  Now  he  that  conies  hither,  out  of  his  own  wisdom,  out  of 
his  owrn  will,  out  of  his  own  thoughts,  out  of  his  own  reason- 
ings; and  comes  to  a  discerning  of  God's  Spirit,  and  to  the 
feeling  of  his  begetting  of  life  in  his  heart,  and  his  stirrings  and 
movings  in  the  life  which  he  hath  begotten,  and  wraits  here;  he 
is  taught  to  deny  himself,  and  to  join  to,  and  take  up  that  by 
which  Christ  daily  crosseth  and  subdueth  in  him  that  which  is 
contrary  to  God.  It  will  make  truth,  life,  holiness,  righteous- 
ness, faith,  obedience,  meekness,  patience,  love,  separation  from 
sin,  communion  with  the  Lord,  and  all  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit, 
as  natural  to  them  in  the  renewed  state,  as  ever  sin  was  in  the 
corrupt  state.    And  in  that  state  they  shall  be  able  to  say  with 


OF  ISAAC  PENINGTON. 


23 


Paul,  who  once  complained  of  his  captivity,  and  that  he  did 
what  he  hated ;  yet  after  he  had  known  the  power  of  the  cross> 
mad  was  crucified  with  Christ,  he  could  then  do  nothing  against 
the  truth ;  yea,  then  being  a  conqueror,  having  overcome  the 
enemies  which  stood  in  his  way,  he  could  do  all  things  through 
Christ  that  strengthened  him.  The  cause  of  so  many  com- 
plaints and  bowings  down  of  the  head,  and  going  mourning 
because  of  the  prevailings  of  the  enemy,  through  temptations, 
sin  and  corruption,  is,  because  the  cross  of  Christ,  whir-h  is  the 
power  of  God,  which  is  his  ordinance  against  the  strength  of  the 
enemy,  is  either  not  knowu,  or  not  taken  up.  And  this  is  the 
reason  that  many  that  make  a  fair  show  for  a  while,  yet  after- 
wards come  to  nothing,  but  are  like  untimely  figs,  or  like  corn 
upon  the  house-tops,  which  hastily  springeth  up,  but  soon 
withereth,  because  they  either  never  rightly  learn,  or  keep  not 
to  the  cross.  For  that  alone  hath  power  from  God,  to  bring 
down  and  keep  down  that  which  is  contrary  to  him.  So  that, 
from  under  the  cross  of  Christ,  there  is  no  witnessing  salvation 
or  preservation  from  the  Lord;  but  out  of  the  limits  of  the 
cross,  the  enemy  hath  power  to  recover  and  bring  back  under 
his  dominion  again.  And  whoever,  in  his  travels,  leaves  the 
cross  behind  him,  does  draw  back  unto  perdition,  and  not  travel 
on,  in  the  living  faith,  and  newness  of  obedience,  towards  the 
salvation  of  the  soul.  Most  men  that  have  felt  any  thing  of 
God,  cannot  but  desire  his  life  and  power;  but  most  fly  the 
cross,  wherein  it  hath  chosen  to  appear ;  and  so  they  can  never 
meet  with  it,  but  are  still  complaining  for  the  want  of  it :  for 
under  the  cross  the  seed  grows  up  and  flourishes,  and  the  flesh 
withers  and  dies.  And  as  the  power  of  flesh  and  death  wastes, 
so  the  power  of  spirit  and  life  increases. 


Eegeneration. 

It  is  an  inward  change,  by  the  Spirit  and  power  of  the  living 
God,  into  his  own  nature.  It  is  a  being  begotten  of  his  Spirit ; 
born  of  his  Spirit ;  begotten  into,  and  born  of  the  very  nature 
of  his  Spirit :  "  That  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit,  is  spirit." 
John  iii.  It  is  not  every  change  of  mind  which  is  the  right 
change ;  but  only  that,  which  God,  by  the  very  same  power 
wherewith  he  raised  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  from  the  grave, 
makes  in  the  hearts  of  those  whom  he  visits;  who  are  sensiblb 
of,  receive,  and  arc  subject  to  his  inward  life,  light  and 
power. 


24 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS 


Concerning  Making  our  Calling  and  Election  Sure. 

How  may  a  man  make  his  calling  and  election  sure  ?  Arts.  By 
making  the  gift  of  God  sure  to  him ;  by  making  that  sure  to 
him  wherein  his  calling  and  election  is.  For  the  choice  is 
of  the  seed,  the  holy  seed,  the  inward  seed,  the  seed  of  God's 
Spirit,  and  of  the  creature  as  joined  to  the  seed.-  God  would 
have  none  to  perish  ;  but  would  have  all  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  Christ,  the  truth,  who  is  the  seed,  in  whom  the  election 
stands :  and  his  holy  advice  to  men  is,  whom  he  begins  to  call 
and  to  lead  towards  the  election,  "  to  make  their  calling  and 
election  sure."  So  that  the  way  of  making  the  calling  and 
election  sure  is,  to  make  the  gift  sure,  the  seed  sure,  the  leaven 
sure,  the  pearl  sure,  which  God  will  never  reject,  nor  any  that 
are  found  in  union  with  it,  and  in  the  love  and  obedience  of  it. 
Oh  !  therefore,  as  God  visits  with  power,  with  his  powerful  gift, 
and  as  thou  receivest  power,  dominion,  and  authority  over  sin, 
for  in  this  gift  is  God's  dominion  and  authority  revealed,  be 
faithful  to  the  gift,  be  faithful  to  the  power,  give  up  to  the 
truth  in  the  inward  parts,  come  into  it,  dwell  in  it,  that  thou 
maycst  feel  its  virtue  and  delivering  nature  from  every  enslaving 
and  embondaging  thing;  and  then  stand  fast  in  the  liberty 
wherewith  Christ  the  Lord,  by  the  life,  virtue,  and  power  of  his 
truth,  sets  thee  free.  And  so  here  thou  wilt  read  thy  calling, 
and  read  thy  election  day  by  day ;  and  find  them  sealed,  and 
sure  to  thee,  in  that  truth,  in  that  gift,  in  that  heavenly  light, 
in  that  holy  seed,  which  came  from  God,  and  is  of  him,  and 
which  he  delights  to  own,  and  will  never  reject. 

There  is  no  man  perisheth  for  want  of  power;  for  there  is 
power  in  the  free  gift  which  comes  upon  all.  There  is  power  in 
it  to  quicken,  to  give  faith,  to  preserve  in  the  faith,  to  do  all 
that  is  to  be  done  in  the  soul ;  and  it  doth  all  every  where,  as  it 
findeth  place  and  entertainment  in  the  soul.  But  man  re- 
fuseth,  man  loveth  the  darkness,  hateth  the  light,  shutteth  his 
eyes  against  it,  withdraweth  his  heart  from  it,  and  so  beateth 
back  the  purpose  and  counsel  of  God's  love  and  good-will 
towards  him. 

Had  there  not  been  somewhat  near  every  man,  which  had 
more  power  in  it  than  sin  had,  they  might  have  had  some  plea 
before  the  Lord ;  but  the  presence  of  this,  the  power  of  this, 
the  working  of  this  in  every  heart,  more  or  less,  leaves  all  men 
without  excuse,  and  clears  the  free  giver  and  his  free  gift  in 
tfee  balance  of  righteousness.  For  this  gift  of  his  is  faithful  to 
every  man  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  never  consenting  to  his 
iniquities  and  transgressions  in  any  kind,  but  still  testifying 


OF  ISAAC  PENINGTON. 


25 


against  them  as  the  Lord  pleaseth  to  open  its  mouth.    But  who 
hath  believed  its  report  'i  and  to  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the 
Lord  been  revealed  ?    This  visitation  of  grace  is  to  all  man- 
kind, there  being  none  upon  earth  whom  the  Lord  doth  not 
thus  seek  and  visit  with  the  light  of  his  eternal  life,  thus 
administered  through  grace.    As  concerning  election  itself, 
observe  this;  that  it  is  in  Christ,  and  not  out  of  him.    For  it 
was  the  intent  of  God  to  honour  his  Son,  even  as  his  Son 
honoured  him  :  and  this  was  the  honour  which  God  gave  him  : 
u  That  he  should  be  his  salvation  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  j  that 
whosoever  believed  on  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lasting life."    That  he  should  be  the  way  for  all  mankind  to 
come  to  the  Father  through  faith  in  him  :  "  that  as  in  Adam  all 
died,  so  in  Christ  all  might  be  made  alive/'    "He  hath  mercy 
on  whom  he  will  have  mercy;  and  whom  he  will,  he  hard- 
eneth."    But  that  he  hardeneth  any,  without  first  giving  them 
d  day  of  mercy,  and  visitations  of  mercy,  following  them  with 
mercy,  and  forbearing  them  in  mercy ;  and  so  by  the  riches  of 
his  goodness,  forbearance  and  long-suffering,  leading  them  to 
repentance,  thU  they  might  escape  his  wrath,  and  the  dread 
of  his  powerful  vengeance,  because  of  sin  :  I  say,  that  God 
hardens  any  before  he  hath  dealt  thus  with  them,  from  a  mere 
will  in  himself,  because  he  would  destroy  the  most  and  fax 
greatest  part  of  men ;  this  the  Scriptures  no  where  testify  to, 
but  abundantly  testify  against. 


Concerning  the  Mystery  of  Life,  and  the  Mystery  of  the 
fellowship  Therein. 

God  is  hid  from  man,  as  he  lies  in  his  sinful  and  fallen  state : 
and  no  man  can  find  or  know  him,  but  as  he  pleaseth  to  reveal 
himself  by  his  own  blessed  Spirit.  And  Christ  being  God's 
image,  there  is  no  knowing  or  confessing  him,  or  right  calling 
him  Lord,  but  in  and  by  the  same  Spirit. — 1  Cor.  xii.  3.  He 
is  not  to  be  known  now,  but  in  the  same  Spirit;  in  his  own 
grace  and  truth,  in  a  measure  of  his  own  life.  The  dead  cannot 
know  him  :  they  only  know  him,  who  are  his  sheep,  who  are 
quickened  and  made  alive  by  him.  And  this  life  is  a  mystery; 
iione  can  understand  it,  but  they  that  partake  of  it.  Can  a  man 
that  is  naturally  dead,  know  what  the  life  of  nature  means  ? 
Ho  more  can  a  man  that  is  spiritually  dead,  know  what  the 
life  of  the  Spirit  means.  The  natural  man  may  get  the  words 
that  came  from  life,  and  cry  up  them,  and  speak  great  word* 
nf  the  fame  of  wisdom,  and  of  her  children ;  but  the  thing  itself 


20 


EXTRACTS  FUOM  THE  WRITINGS 


is  hid  from  them  all.  Oh !  it  is  a  straight  gate  at  which  th« 
birth,  the  spiritual  life  enters,  at  which  none  else  can  enter. 
The  wise  and  prudent  knowers  and  searchers  after  the  flesh, 
and  of  the  Scriptures,  as  they  can  put  meanings  upon  them, 
and  comprehend  them,  are  shut  out  in  every  age;  but  there  is 
a  babe  born  of  naked  truth,  born  of  the  pure  simplicity,  ad- 
mitted by  Grod,  while  men  disdain  and  despise  it. 

And  the  fellowship  of  the  Saints  is  in  the  life,  and  in  the 
light,  which  is  this  mystery.  The  fellowship  is.  not  outward, 
but  inward.  All  they  that  meet  together  in  the  outward 
place,  are  not  in  the  fellowship,  or  worship;  but  only  they 
that  meet  together  in  the  inward  life  and  spirit.  "  They 
that  worship  the  Father,  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in 
truth."  Look,  there  is  the  worship,  there  are  the  worshippers; 
they  that  are  in  the  spirit,  in  the  truth ;  they  that  meet  in  the 
spirit,  in  the  truth,  they  meet  together  in  one  spiritual  place 
And  so  we  own  no  man  after  the  flesh,  no  man  according  to  the 
appearance;  but  in  the  righteous  judgment  of  the  spirit,  those 
only  who  are  of  the  spirit.  Indeed  we  are  tender,  where  there 
is  the  least  beginning  of  the  work  of  God  in  any  heart;  yea, 
where  there  is  but  so  much  as  a  conviction  of  the  understand- 
ing; but  men  are  not  presently  of  us,  who  own  our  principle  in 
words  or  outward  appearance,  but  only  such  as  are  inwardly 
changed  thereby  in  the  heart.  It  is  true,  persons  may  walk 
among  us,  and  afterwards  go  out  from  us,  who  were  never  of  us, 
as  it  was  in  the  Apostle's  days,  that  were  never  in  the  fellow- 
ship of  life  with  us,  whom  we  could  never  own  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord,  as  being  born  of  him ;  though  we  were  willing  to 
wait  and  watch  for  their  good,  that  they  might  come  to  witness 
the  true  birth.  Now  from  such  come  the  offences,  even  from 
the  falling  off'  of  such  as  were  never  truly  ingrafted,  and  also 
from  the  slips  of  such,  who  are  not  watchful  to  that  which 
preserves.  And  woe  is  to  the  world,  because  of  the  offences 
which  cannot  but  come.  For  they  which  are  to  be  approved  in 
the  sight  of  the  Lord,  must  not  somewhat  or  other  happen  to 
make  them  manifest  ?  And  when  they  are  made  manifest,  the 
world's  eye  is  offended,  and  is  apt  to  think  hardly  of,  and 
reproach  the  truth  itself,  because  of  them.  Blessed  is  the  eye 
which  sees  into  the  mystery,  into  the  life,  itself,  where  there  is 
no  offence.    Truth  is  one  and  the  same  forever. 

But  if  the  Lord  hath  taught  a  man,  opened  the  same  eye  in 
him  that  he  opened  in  others,  and  brought  him  into  unity  and 
uuifonnity  with  the  Church,  in  the  practices  which  the  Lord 
hath  taught  it;  and  he  afterwards  let  in  another  spirit,  and  fall 
from  these  practices,  and  judge  the  very  church  itself  for  con 
No  100.— 3 


OF  ISAAC  PENINGTON. 


27 


tinuing  in  them  ;  may  not  the  church  testify  to  this  person,  that 
he  is  erred  from  his  guide,  hath  lost  the  light  in  himself,  and 
so  judgeth  amiss,  both  concerning  himself,  and  concerning  the 
church  of  God  ?  This  hath  been  the  state  of  some  who  went 
out  from  among  us  formerly,  and  may  also  be  the  state  of  some 
who  go  out  from  us  now.  For  as  there  is  one  that  gathers  to 
the  true  church  ;  so  there  is  another  that  endeavours  to  draw 
and  scatter  from  it,  and  then  to  cause  men  to  turn  head  against 
it,  as  if  it  were  not  of  God,  but  apostatized  from  the  Spirit  and 
principle  of  *Truth,  which  indeed  is  their  own  state  and  con- 
dition in  God's  sight. 

The  enemy  is  very  subtle  and  watchful,  and  there  is  danger 
to  Israel  all  along,  both  in  the  poverty  and  in  the  riches ;  but 
the  greater  danger  is  in  the  riches :  because  then  man  is  apt  to 
forget  God,  and  to  lose  somewhat  of  the  sense  of  his  depend- 
ence, which  keeps  the  soul  low  and  safe  in  the  life ;  and  also  to 
suffer  somewhat  of  exaltation  to  creep  upon  him,  which  pre- 
sently in  a  degree,  corrupts  and  betrays  him.  The  heart  thai 
is  in  any  measure  lifted  up  in  itself,  so  far  it  is  not  upright 
in  the  Lord.  Let  every  one  feel  this,  waiting  to  be  preserved, 
and  praying  for  those  who  are  most  beautified  by  gifts  and 
abilities  from  the  life  ;  because  in  this  respect,  and  at  this  time, 
their  danger  is  greatest.  When  Israel  is  poor,  low,  weak, 
trembling,  seeing  no  loveliness  nor  worthiness  in  himself,  but 
depending  upon  the  mere  mercy  and  tender  bowels  of  the  Lord 
in  the  free  covenant  of  his  love,  &c,  then  is  Israel  safe.  But 
when  he  hath  a  being*  given  him  in  the  life,  and  is  richly 
adorned  with  the  ornaments  of  life,  and  comes  to  have  the 
power  itself  in  his  hand  to  make  use  of,  then  is  he  in  more 
dauge'r  of  being  somewhat  of  himself,  and  of  forgetting  him  that 
formed  him ;  being  apt  to  make  use  of  his  gifts  without  such  an 
immediate  sense  of  the  Giver,  as  he  had  in  his  trembling  and 
weak  estate ;  and  so  of  departing  out  of  that  humble,  tender, 
abased,  contrite  state,  and  temper  of  spirit,  wherein  he  was  stiii 
preserved. 


Spiritual  Unity. 

What  is  Spiritual  Unity?  Jlns.  The  meeting  of  the  same 
spiritual  nature  in  divers,  in  one  and  the  same  spiritual  centre 
or  streams  of  life.  When  the  spirits  or  souls  of  creatures  are 
begotten  by  one  power,  into  one  life,  and  meet  in  heart  there ; 
so  far  as  they  thus  meet,  there  is  true  unity  among  them.  Tho 
doing  the  same  thing,  the  thinking  the  same  thing,  the  speaking 


28 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS 


the  same  thing ;  tins  doth  not  unite  here  in  this  state,  in  this 
nature ;  but  only  the  doing,  or  thinking,  or  speaking  of  it  in  the 
same  life.  Yea,  though  the  doings,  or  thoughts,  or  words  be 
divers  ;  yet  if  they  proceed'from  the  same  [divine]  principle  and 
nature,  there  is  a  true  unity  felt  therein,  where  the  life  alone  is 
judge- 
How  is  the  unity  preserved?  ./Ins.  Only  by  abiding  in  the 
life ;  only  by  keeping  to  the  power,  and  in  the  principle,  from 
whence  the  unity  sprang,  and  in  which  it  stands.  Here  is  a 
knitting  of  natures,  and  a  fellowship  in  the  same  spiritual  centre. 
Here  the  divers  and  different  motions  of  several  members  in  the 
body,  thiia  coming  from  the  life  and  spirit  of  the  body,  are 
known  to,  and  owned  by,  the  same  life,  where  it  is  fresh  and 
sensible.  It  is  not  keeping  up  an  outward  knowledge  or  belief 
concerning  things,  that  unites,  nor  keeping  up  an  outward  con- 
formity in  actions,  &e.;  for  these  may  be  held  and  done  by  another 
part  in  man,  and  in  another  nature ;  but  it  is  by  keeping  and 
acting  in  that  which  did  at  first  unite.  In  this  there  is  neither 
matter  nor  room  for  division ;  and  he  that  is  within  these  limits, 
cannot  but  be  found  in  the  oneness.  How  is  the  unity  interrupt- 
ed ?  Jlns.  By  the  interposition  of  any  thing  of  a  different  nature 
or  spirit  from  the  life.  When  any  thing  of  the  earthly  or  sensual 
part  comes  between  the  soul  and  the  life,  this  interrupts  the  soul's 
unity  with  the  life  itself ;  and  it  also  interrupts  its  unity  with  the 
life  in  others,  and  the  unity  of  the  life  in  others  with  it.  Any 
thing  of  the  man's  spirit,  of  the  man's  wisdom,  of  the  man's  will, 
not  bowed  down  and  brought  into  subjection,  and  so  not  coming 
forth  in  and  uuder  the  authority  and  guidance  of  life,  in  this  is 
somewhat  of  the  nature  of  division ;  yea,  the  very  knowledge  of 
truth,  and  holding  it  forth  by  man's  wisdom,  and  in  his  will,  out 
of  the  movings  and  power  of  life,  brings  a  damp  upon  the  life, 
and  interrupts  the  unity ;  for  the  life  in  others  cannot  unite  with 
this  in  spirit,  though  it  may  own  the  words  to  be  true. 

How  may  unity  be  recovered,  if  at  any  time  decaying?  Jlns. 
In  the  Lord  alone  is  the  recovery  of  Israel,  from  any  degree  of 
loss  in  any  kind,  at  any  time  ;  who  alone  can  teach  to  retire  into, 
and  to  be  found  in  that  wherein  the  unity  is  and  stands,  and 
into  which  division  cannot  enter.  This  is  the  way  of  restoring 
unity  to  Israel,  upon  the  sense  of  any  want  thereof;  even  every 
one,  through  the  Lord's  help,  retiring  in  his  own  particular,  and 
furthering  the  retirings  of  others  to  the  principle  of  life,  that 
every  one  there  may  feel  the  washing  from  what  hath  in  any 
measure  corrupted,  and  the  new  begetting  into  the  power  of  life. 
From  this  the  true  and  lasting  unity  will  spring  amain,  to  the 
gladdening  of  all  hearts  that  know  the  sweetness  of  it,  and  wHo 
f 


OF  ISAAC  PEXINGTON. 


29 


eannot  but  naturally  and  most  earnestly  desire  it.  Oh  !  raarX 
therefore  !  the  way  is  not  by  striving  to  beget  into  one  and  the 
same  apprehension  concerning  things,  nor  by  endeavoring  to 
bring  into  one  and  the  same  practice;  but  by  alluring  and 
drawing  into  that  wherein  the  unity  consists,  and  which  brings 
it  forth  in  the  vessels,  which  are  seasoned  therewith,  and  ordered 
thereby.  And  from  this,  let  all  wait  for  the  daily  new  and  liv- 
ing knowledge,  and  for  the  ordering  of  their  conversations  and 
practices  in  that  light,  and  drawings  thereof,  and  in  that  sim- 
plicity and  integrity  of  heart,  which  the  spirit  of  life  at  present 
holdeth  forth  and  worketh  in  them ;  and  the  life  will  be  felt  and 
the  name  of  the  Lord  praised  in  all  the  tents  of  Jacob,  and 
through  all  the  inhabitants  of  his  Israel ;  and  there  will  be  but 
one  heart,  and  one  soul,  and  one  spirit,  and  one  mind,  and  one 
way  and  power  of  life  ;  and  what  is  already  wrought  in  every 
heart,  the  Lord  will  be  acknowledged  in,  and  his  name  praised; 
and  the  Lord's  season  contentedly  waited  for  his  filling  up  ot 
what  is  wanting  any  where. 

And  unity  in  the  life  is  the  ground  of  true  brotherly  love  and 
fellowship.  Not  that  another  man  walks  just  as  I  do;  but 
though  he  be  weaker  or  stronger,  yet  he  walks  by  the  same  prin- 
ciple of  light,  and  is  felt  in  the  same  spirit  of  life,  which  guideth 
both  the  weak  and  the  strong,  in  their  several  ranks,  order, 
proper  way,  and  place  of  subjection,  to  that  one  Spirit  of  life 
and  truth,  which  all  are  to  be  subject  to.  Nay,  he  that  is  truly 
spiritual  and  strong  in  the  light  aud  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  cannot 
desire  that  the  weak  should  walk  just  as  he  does;  but  only  as 
they  are  strengthened,  taught,  and  led  thereunto  by  the  same 
spirit  that  strengthened,  taught,  and  led  him. 

Quest.  How  may  I  come  to  the  seed ;  and  how  may  I  wait 
aright  to  feel  and  receive  the  power  which,  raiseth  it?  Jlns. 
Mind  that  in  thee  which  searcheth  the  heart,  and  what  it  reach- 
eth  to,  and  quickeneth  in  thee;  what  it  draweth  thee  from,  and 
what  it  draweth  thee  to;  how  it  showeth  thee  thine  own  inability 
to  follow,  and  how  it  giveth  ability  when  thou  art  weary  of  toil- 
ing and  labouring  of  thyself.  Oh  !  this  is  he  whom  we  waited 
for !  Thus  he  appeared  to  us ;  thus  he  taught  us  to  turn  in, 
and  to  turn  from  the  kingdom  of  darkness  within,  towards  the 
kingdom  of  light,  which  the  good  Seedsman  had  sown  in  us  as 
a  grain  of  mustard  seed;  which  when  we  found,  we  knew  it  to 
be  the  pearl  of  price,  and  were  made  willing  to  sell  all  for  it. 

0,  hungering  and  thirsting  soul  after  life,  after  truth,  after 
the  Lamb's  righteousness,  do  thou  also  wait  to  be  taught  of  the 
Lord,  who  thus  taught  us,  and  then  do  thou  go  and  do  so  like- 


30 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS 


wise,  and  thou  wilt  never  repent  of  this  purchase,  or  what  thoa 
partest  with  for  it,  when  once  thou  comest  to  enjoy  and  possess 
any  portion  of  it. 


Brief  Extracts  from  a  few  Letters  Conveying  "Weighty, 
Edifying  Counsel. 

It  is  of  the  infinite  mercy  and  compassion  of  the  Lord,  that 
his  pure  love  visiteth  any  of  us,  and  it  is  by  the  preservation 
thereof  alone,  that  we  stand.  If  he  leave  us  at  any  time,  but 
one  moment,  what  are  we  ?  In  the  truth  itself,  in  the  living 
power  and  virtue,  there  is  no  offence  ;  but  that  part  which  is  not 
perfectly  redeemed,  hath  still  matter  for  the  temptation  to  work 
upon,  and  may  be  taken  in  the  snare.  Let  him  that  stands, 
take  heed  lest  he  fall ;  and,  in  the  bowels  of  pity,  mourn  over 
and  wait  for  the  restoring  of  him  that  is  fallen.  That  which  is 
bo  apt  to  be  offended,  is  the  same  with  that  which  falls.  0, 
know  the  weakness  of  the  creature  in  the  withdrawings  of  the 
life,  and  the  strength  of  the  enemy  in  that  hour,  and  the  free 
grace  and  mercy  which  alone  can  preserve. 

When  the  pure  springs  of  life  open  in  the  heart,  immediately 
the  enemy  watcheth  his  opportunity  to  get  entrance ;  and  many 
times  finds  entrance  soon  after,  the  soul  little  fearing  or  suspect- 
ing him,  having  lately  felt  such  mighty  unconquerable  strength; 
and  yet  how  often  then  doth  he  get  in,  and  smite  the  life  down 
to  the  ground ;  and  what  may  he  not  do  with  the  creature,  un- 
less the  L®rd  graciously  help. 


Friends, — Be  not  discouraged  because  of  your  souls'  enemies. 
Are  ye  troubled  with  thoughts,  fears,  doubts,  imaginations,  rea- 
sonings, &c;  yea,  do  you  see  yet  much  in  you  unsubdued  to  the 
power  of  life  ?  0,  do  not  fear  it ;  do  not  look  at  it,  so  as  to  be 
discouraged  by  it;  but  look  to  him  j  look  up  to  the  power  which 
is  over  all  their  strength  ;  wait  for  the  descendings  of  the  power 
upon  you;  abide  in  the  faith  of  the  Lord's  help;  and  wait  in 
the  patience  till  the  Lord  arise ;  and  see  if  his  arm  do  not 
scatter,  what  yours  could  not.  So  be  still  before  him,  and  in 
stillness  believe  in  his  name ;  yea,  enter  not  into  the  hurryings 
of  the  enemy,  though  they  fill  the  soul ;  for  there  is  yet  some- 
what to  which  they  cannot  enter,  from  whence  patience,  and 
faith,  and  hope,  will  spring  up  in  you,  in  the  midst  of  all  that 
they  can  do.  So  into  this  sink ;  in  this  be  hid  in  the  evil  hour ; 
and  the  temptations  will  pass  away,  and  the  tempter's  strength 
be  broken,  and  the  arm  of  the  Lord  which  brake  him,  revealed^ 
No.  100.— 3* 


OF  ISAAC  PENIXGTON. 


31 


and  then  ye  shall  see,  that  he  raised  but  a  sea  of  troub'.e  in  your 
souls,  to  sink  himself  by;  and  the  Lord  will  throw  the  horse 
and  his  rider,  which  trampled  upon  and  rode  over  the  just  ia 
you  into  that  sea;  and  ye  shall  stand  upon  the  bank,  and  sing 
the  song  of  Moses  to  him  that  drowned  him,  and  delivered  you 
from  him ;  and  in  due  season  ye  shall  sing  the  song  of  the 
Lamb  also,  when  his  life  springs  up  in  you  in  his  pure  domin- 
ion;  triumphing  over  death,  and  all  that  is  contrary  to  God, 
both  within  and  without. 

Now,  friends,  in  a  sensible  waiting  and  giving  up  to  the  Lord, 
»n  the  daily  exercise,  by  the  daily  cross  to  that  in  you,  which  is 
not  of  the  life,  this  work  will  daily  go  on,  and  ye  will  feel  from 
the  Lord  that  which  will  help,  relieve,  refresh,  and  satisfy,  which 
neither  tongue  nor  wrords  can  utter. 

And  then,  as  to  what  may  befal  us  outwardly,  in  this  con- 
fused state  of  things,  shall  we  not  trust  our  tender  Father,  and 
rest  satisfied  in  his  will?  Are  we  not  engraven  in  his  heart, 
and  on  the  palms  of  his  hands,  and  can  he  forget  us  in  any 
thing  that  he  doeth  ?  Yea,  shall  he  not  bear  up  the  mind,  and 
be  our  strength,  portion,  armour,  rock,  peace,  joy,  and  full  satis- 
faction, in  every  condition  ?  For  it  is  not  the  condition  makes 
miserable,  but  the  want  of  him  in  the  condition  :  he  is  the  sub- 
stance of  all,  the  virtue  of  all,  the  life  of  all,  the  power  of  all ; 
he  nourisheth,  he  preserveth,  he  upholds,  with  the  creatures  or 
without  the  creatures,  as  it  pleaseth  him ;  and  he  that  hath  him, 
he  that  is  with  him,  he  that  is  in  him,  cannot  want,  Hath  the 
spirit  of  this  world  content  in  all  that  it  enjoys?  No:  it  is 
restless,  it.  is  unsatisfied.  But  can  tribulation,  distress,  persecu- 
tion, famine,  nakedness,  peril  or  sword,  come  between  the  love 
of  the  Father  to  the*  child,  or  the  child's  rest,  content  aud  de- 
light in  his  love  ?  And  doth  uot  the  love,  the  peace,  the  joy, 
the  rest  felt,  swallow  up  all  the  bitterness  and  sorrow  of  the 
outwrard  condition  ?  So  let  us  not  look  out  like  the  world,  or 
judge  or  fear  according  to  the  appearance  of  things,  after  the 
manner  of  the  world;  but  sanctify  the  Lord  of  hosts  in  our 
hearts,  and  let  him  be  our  fear  and  dread,  and  he  shall  be  an 
hiding-place  unto  us  in  the  storms,  and  in  the  tempests  which 
are  coming  thick  upon  the  earth. 


Concerning  Love.   [Divine  Love.] 

What  shall  I  say  of  it,  or  how  shall  I  in  words  express  its 
nature!  It  is  the  sweetness  of  life;  it  is  the  sweet,  tender, 
melting  nature  of  God,  flowing  up  through  his  seed  of  life  into 


32  EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  WRITINGS  OF  ISAAC  PENINGTON. 


the  creature,  and  of  all  things  making  the  creature  most  like 
unto  himself,  both  in  nature  and  operation.  It  fulfils  the  Law, 
it  fulfils  the  Gospel  j  it  wraps  up  all  in  one,  and  brings  forth  all 
in  the  oneness.  It  excludes  all  evil  out  of  the  heart,  it  perfects 
all  good  in  the  heart.  A  touch  of  love  doth  this  in  measure ; 
perfect  love  doth  this  in  fulness.  But  how  can  I  proceed  to 
speak  of  it !  Oh  !  that  the  souls  of  all  that  fear  and  wait  on 
the  Lord,  might  feel  its  nature  fully;  and  then  would  they  not 
fail  of  its  sweet  overcoming  operations,  both  towards  one  another, 
and  towards  enemies.  The  great  heajing,  the  great  conquest, 
the  great  salvation,  is  reserved  for  the  full  manifestation  of  the 
love  of  God.  His  judgments,  his  cuttings,  his  hewings  by  the 
word  of  his  mouth,  are  but  to  prepare  for,  but  not  to  do,  the 
great  work  of  raising  up  the  sweet  building  of  his  life ;  which 
is  to  be  done  in  love,  and  m  peace,  and  by  the  power  thereof. 
And  this  my  soul  waits  and  cries  after,  even  the  full  springing 
up  of  eternal  love  in  my  heart,  and  in  the  swallowing  of  me 
wholly  into  it,  and  the  bringing  of  my  soul  wholly  forth  in  it, 
that  the  life  of  God,  in  its  own  perfect  sweetness,  may  fully  run 
forth  through  this  vessel,  and  not  to  be  at  all  tinctured  by  the 
vessel,  but  perfectly  tincture  and  change  the  vessel  into  its  own 
nature :  and  then  shall  no  fault  be  found  in  my  soul  before  the 
Lord,  but  the  spotless  life  be  fully  enjoyed  by  me,  and  become 
a  perfectly  pleasant  sacrifice  to  my  God.  0  !  how  sweet  is  love  ! 
how  pleasant  is  its  nature  !  how  takingly  doth  it  behave  itself 
in  every  condition,  upon  every  occasion,  to  every  person,  and 
about  every  thing !  How  tenderly,  how  readily,  doth  it  help 
and  serve  the  meanest !  How  patiently,  ho"W  meekly,  doth  it 
bear  all  things,  either  from  God  or  man,  how  unexpectedly  so- 
ever they  come,  or  how  hard  soever  they  seem  !  How  doth  it 
believe,  how  doth  it  hope,  how  doth  it  excuse,  how  doth  it  cover 
even  that  which  seemeth  not  to  be  excusable,  and  not  fit  to  be 
covered  !  How  kind  is  it  even  in  its  interpretations  and  charges 
concerning  miscarriages  !  It  never  overchargeth,  it  never  grates 
upon  the  spirit  of  him  whom  it  reprehends;  it  never  hardens, 
it  never  provokes;  but  carrieth  a  meltingness  and  power  of  con- 
viction with  it.  This  is  the  nature  of  God;  this,  in  the  vessels 
capacitated  to  receive  and  bring  it  forth  in  its  glory,  the  power 
of  enmity  is  not  able  to  stand  against,  but  falls  before,  and  is 
overcome  by  it. 


No.  101. 


A 


PROPER  USE  OF  RICHES 

EXEMPLIFIED  IX  THE 


Life  of  Richard  Reynolds. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
POLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1887. 


A  PROPER  USE  OF  RICHES 

EXEMPLIFIED  IN  THE 

Life  of  Richard  Reynolds. 


Richard  Reynolds  was  born  in  the  year  1735,  in  Bristol, 
England.  He  received  but  a  limited  education,  but  improved 
his  mind  in  mature  life  by  judicious  reading,  and  by  the  large 
intercourse  with  men  into  which  his  business  led  him.  He  was 
allied  by  marriage  with  a  family  concerned  in  the  manufacture 
of  iron,  in  the  west  of  England,  and  grew  rich  by  the  prodi- 
gious extension  and  prosperity  of  that  branch  of  industry.  At 
the  age  of  fifty  he  retired  from  active  business  to  the  city  of 
Bristol,  where  he  spent  much  of  the  remainder  of  his  life  in 
efforts  to  promote  the  welfare  of  his  fellow-creatures. 

He  had  four  almoners  constantly  employed  in  Bristol,  who 
brought  their  accounts  to  him  every  week,  which  contained  the 
names  of  each  person  or  family  who  had  been  relieved,  the 
sum  given  and  the  circumstances.  In  the  year  1795  he  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  some  friends  in  London,  stating  the  impres- 
sion made  on  his  mind  by  the  distresses  of  the  community ; 
and  desiring  that  they  would  draw  upon  him  for  such  sums  as 
they  might  think  proper.  They  complied  with  his  request, 
and  drew  in  a  very  short  time  to  the  extent  of  £11,000.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  months  he  wrote  again,  and  stated  that  his 
mind  was  not  easy  and  that  his  coffers  were  still  too  full.  In 
consequence  of  this  information,  they  drew  for  £9,000  more. 
With  such  extensive  liberality,  he  was  not  lavish  of  his 
bounty ;  but  regulated  his  donations  with  great  judgment. 
When  applied  to  on  behalf  of  the  distressed,  he  studied  not 


A    PROPER    USE    OF    RICHES,  ETC. 


3 


only  how  to  discriminate  between  the  deserving  and  the  im- 
posing applicant,  but  how  he  could  render  his  charitable  dona- 
tions the  most  extensively  beneficial. 

He  was  generous  in  all  his  private  transactions,  and  paid 
over  large  sums  rather  than  allow  the  most  remote  possibility 
of  error  in  the  settlement  of  an  account.  In  one  instance 
where  he  held  shares  in  an  undertaking,  by  which  the  con- 
tracting party  for  its  construction  was  a  loser,  he  did  not  choose 
to  be  the  possessor  of  a  property  for  which  he  considered  he 
had  not  paid  the  cost,  and  he  paid  to  the  contractor  the  propor- 
tion of  the  excess  which  attached  not  only  to  the  shares  which 
he  originally  held,  but  to  those  which  he  subsequently  pur- 
chased. 

Not  the  least  to  be  appreciated  was  the  consideration  and 
delicacy  with  which  he  assisted  many  persons  who  were  not 
ostensibly  objects  of  charity,  (to  use  this  word  in  its  common 
sense,)  and  many  who,  through  relationship  or  other  ties  of 
personal  interest,  or  estimable  conduct,  were  felt  by  him  to 
have  claims  on  his  kindness  and  generosity.  He  kept  a  minute 
and  accurate  account  of  this  portion,  as  of  every  other  of  his 
expenditure,  but  he  contrived  so  to  enter  the  sums  which  he 
gave  away,  that  no  one  could  learn  their  precise  determination. 

Possessed  of  an  annual  income  of  many  thousands,  his  style 
of  living  remained  perfectly  simple ;  there  was  every  needful 
and  substantial  comfort,  and  an  open-handed  readiness  to  pro- 
vide for  the  enjoyment  as  well  as  convenience  of  those  who 
shared  his  hospitality  ;  yet  without  display,  or  indulgence  in 
luxuries:  hence,  but  a  small  proportion  of  his  income  was 
spent  upon  himself — the  remainder  flowed  in  the  continuous 
and  bountiful  stream  of  a  well-regulated  and  catholic  benevo- 
lence. 

He  made  it  his  constant  practice,  from  religious  principle, 
to  spend  the  whole  of  his  income.  While  receiving  the  heart- 
felt expressions  of  gratitude  of  those  who  had  the  opportunity 
of  personally  thanking  him,  he  always  directed  such  feelings  to 
the  Source  of  all  good.  After  he  had  very  liberally  contri- 
buted towards  the  support  of  an  orphan,  he  checked  the  grate- 


4 


A    PROPER    USE    OF    RICHES,  ETC. 


fill  expressions  of  the  applicant,  who  proposed  to  teach  the 
infant  "  to  lisp  his  name,  and  thank  his  humane  benefactor,"  by 
this  reply — "  Not  so ;  we  do  not  thank  the  clouds  for  rain. 
Teach  the  infant  to  look  higher  and  thank  Him  who  gives 
both  clouds  and  rain."  "  My  talent,"  said  he  to  a  friend,  "  is 
the  meanest  of  all  talents — a  little  sordid  dust;  but  as  the 
man  in  the  parable  who  had  but  one  talent  was  accountable,  I 
am  also  accountable  for  the  talent  I  possess,  humble  as  it  is,  to 
the  great  Lord  of  all." 

There  are  too  many  who  seem  to  think  that  they  are  at 
liberty  to  bestow  any  amount  of  expense  which  their  means 
will  admit  of  on  their  personal  gratifications,  forgetting  that 
they  are  responsible  to  the  Author  of  all  their  blessings  for  the 
right  employment  of  that  which  he  has  placed  in  their  hands. 
Richard  Reynolds,  in  one  of  his  letters,  remarks  — "  That  riches 
are  not  always  best  for  all  that  have  them,  we  have  abundant 
proof.  They  are  always  trials,  and  may  be  blessings,  if  the 
possessors  make  them  such  to  others ;  but  how  few  are  fully 
faithful  in  the  discharge  of  their  stewardship  ?  How  awful  the 
responsibility  attached  to  great  wealth !  Though  my  charge  is 
less  than  many,  it  is  more  than  some ;  and  I  greatly  fear  for 
myself." 

This  sense  of  the  great  responsibility  resting  on  those  who 
possess  much  of  this  world's  riches,  tends  to  prevent  us  from 
setting  our  affections  too  much  upon  them  ;  and  such  appears 
to  have  been  the  effect  on  Richard  Reynolds'  mind.  He  says, 
in  a  letter  to  his  wife,  written  while  still  in  active  business — 
"I  hear  nothing  but  bad  accounts  (as  they  are  generally 
called)  respecting  the  pig-iron  trade,  and  predictions  of  its 
being  still  worse.  I  am  thankful  I  can  say,  I  am  at  all  times 
enabled  to  consider  the  things  of  this  life  in  that  degree  of 
subordination  and  inferiority  to  the  concerns  of  the  next,  that 
whether  an  increase  or  a  decrease  of  outward  riches  seems  most 
probable,  is  matter  of  great  indifference  to  me ;  and  when  I 
consider  further  the  ill  effects  riches  frequently  have  upon  the 
mind,  especially  of  young  people,  together  with  the  remem- 
brance that  where  there  is  but  little  given,  there  is  but  little 


A     PROPER     USE    OF    RICHES,  ETC. 


5 


fequired,  and  where  there  is  much  given,  there  is  much  re- 
quired, I  am  inclined  to  contemplate  a  state  of  inferiority  to 
former  expectations,  if  not  with  a  positive  desire  for  it,  at  least 
with  a  cheerful  acquiescence  in  it.  If  I  attain  to  purity  of 
heart  and  meekness  of  temper,  how  little  of  worldly  riches  will 
be  sufficient!  and  if  either  one  or  the  other  of  the  former  will 
be  prevented  by  my  having  even  so  much  as  I  have  of  the 
latter,  may  I  be  deprived  of  it !  This  I  can  truly  say  has  been 
the  desire  of  my  mind  many  times,  and  especially  of  late." 

His  temper  was  by  nature  hasty,  and  if,  in  moments  of  irri- 
tation he  spoke  to  the  servants  of  the  family  more  strongly 
than  the  occasion  justified,  or  with  a  severity  which,  upon  re- 
flection, appeared  to  himself  inconsistent  with  the  meekness 
and  forbearance  of  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  he  hesitated  not  frankly 
to  acknowledge,  and  to  apologize  to  them  for  his  error.  And 
in  the  same  spirit  of  humility  he  has  been  known  to  follow  a 
poor  woman  to  her  house,  and  ask  her  excuse  for  having  either 
spoken  hastily  or  sent  a  sharp  message  to  her,  when  she  had 
applied  to  him  for  help  at  an  unseasonable  time. 

In  1810,  he  had  a  painful  and  dangerous  illness,  from  which 
he  never  recovered  his  wonted  strength :  though  in  the  sum- 
mer of  that  year  he  went  into  Devonshire,  in  hopes  that  the 
carriage  exercise  and  the  pleasant  excitement  he  had  ever  been 
accustomed  to  derive  from  the  beauties  of  the  scenery,  would 
be  of  service.  In  these  hopes,  however,  he  was  disappointed. 
He  thus  writes  to  a  friend — "  I  feel  with  increased  conscious- 
ness the  effects  of  old  age — the  decrease  of  mental  strength 
with  lessened  bodily  powers,  of  firmness  of  nerve  and  energy 
of  mind.  I  find,  too,  that  I  consider  it  wisely  ordained  in  the 
constitution  of  mankind  in  their  present  state  of  existence,  that 
with  the  power  of  enjoyment,  the  inclination  declines  also.  I 
believe  few  men  with  means  so  limited  from  education,  so  con- 
tracted a  sphere  of  action,  and  that  so  occupied  by  the  duties 
attached  to  my  station  in  life  as  not  to  admit  of  much  intel- 
lectual cultivation,  have  had  a  higher  relish  for  the  gay  or  the 
grand,  the  beautiful  or  the  sublime,  or  the  wonderful  works  of 
the  Almighty  in  the  outward  creation ;  and  I  remember  with 


6 


A    PROPER    USE    OF    RICHES,  ETC. 


gratitude,  the  admiration,  the  delightful  astonishment,  the  raj> 
ture  which  scenes  like  those  at  present  before  me — the  bound- 
less ocean  in  its  various  states  of  awful  agitation  or  placid 
expansion — excited  the  first  time  I  beheld  them,  and  frequently 
since.  But  I  do  not  regret  that  the  things  which  are  seen — 
which  are  temporal,  and  which  I  must  soon  leave — now  affect 
me  so  little.  My  principal,  my  frequent  wish  is,  that  those 
things  which  are  not  seen,  but  which  are  eternal,  may  be  the 
objects  of  my  solicitude  in  proportion  to  their  incomparable 
importance,  and  my  swift  approaching,  my  almost  instant  in- 
terest in  them."  And  to  another  friend  he  says — "  My  dis- 
position, indeed,  to  seek  or  expect  happiness  in  or  from  out- 
ward things,  seems  to  have  decreased  as  fast  as  my  powers 
have  diminished.  I  am  sometimes  thankful  that  my  desires  for 
an  increase  of  spiritual-mindedness  bear  some  proportion  to  the 
importance  of  it  in  the  hour  so  swiftly  approaching,  when  I 
shall  have  done  with  all  the  objects  of  sense,  and  when  time 
shall  be  lost  in  eternity.  *  *  *  The  broken  slumbers  in 
which  my  nights  are  frequently  passed  have  the  advantage  of 
favoring  the  immediate  application  of  heart  to  the  Lord,  which 
He  mercifully  inspires  and  regards;  and  if  I  cannot  say  much 
of ' songs  in  the  night,'  I  may  to  thee  thankfully  acknowledge 
that,  through  Divine  favor,  a  degree  of  the  spirit  of  grace  and 
of  supplication  has  been  experienced  more  frequently  at  those 
times,  and  with  nearer  access  to  the  footstool  of  the  mercy- 
seat,  than  at  some  more  appropriate  seasons." 

Richard  Reynolds  was  a  sincere  and  consistent  member  of 
the  Society  of  Friends,  and  writes  thus  in  1779 : 

"  When  I  consider  William  Penn's  description  of  us  as  a 
people,  in  his  account  of  our  rise,  and  progress  to  his  day — 
when  they  were  in  conversation  innocent,  serious,  and  weighty, 
their  wills  and  affections  bowed  and  brought  into  subjection, 
and  that  nothing  could  draw  them  from  this  retired,  inward, 
watchful  frame — and  compare  it  with  the  present  state  of  our 
Society,  or  indeed  my  own,  need  I  scruple  to  acknowledge  and 
lament  the  disparity — to  admire,  in  his  own  words,  '  the 
humility  and  chaste  zeal  of  that  day  ?  How  constant  at  meetr 


A     PROPER     USE     OF     RICHES,  ETC. 


7 


ings !  how  retired  in  them !  how  firm  to  Truth's  life,  as  well 
as  Truth's  principles!  how  entire  and  united  in  their  commu- 
nion!' Ah!  my  friend,  how  are  we  now?  But,  instead  of 
ineffectual  bewailings  and  fruitless  comparisons,  let  us,  through 
the  assistance  and  Divine  help  of  the  holy  Arm,  which  sup- 
ported them  in  that  day,  and  which  is  equally  ready  to  lead  us 
in  the  same  path,  let  us  endeavor  after  a  reformation  in  our- 
selves, let  us  walk  by  the  same  rule,  let  us  mind  the  same 
things,  and  following  them  as  they  followed  Christ,  be  quali- 
fied to  be  examples  to  others  in  the  same  way." 

In  a  letter  to  his  nephew,  written  in  his  eightieth  year  he 
says  :— 

"  I  cannot  describe  the  effect  of  the  retrospect  of  the  time 
that  is  past — the  events  that  have  occurred  in  the  course  of  a 
long  life ;  how  important  many  of  them  were  thought  while  in 
expectation — how  much  reduced  when  attained;  and  now  of 
so  little  consequence,  that  the  wonder  is  they  should  ever  have 
been  thought  of  so  much.  Where  are  now  the  companions  of 
my  youth  ?  my  associates  in  the  animating  endeavors  to  ac- 
quire knowledge  ?  Those  whose  friendship  I  cultivated  with 
pleasure  and  advantage  ?  Those  with  whom  I  entered  the  busy 
scenes  of  trade — some  in  concert  with  me,  some  in  competi- 
tion ?  Not  one  of  them  remaining !  not  a  relation,  not  a  friend 
scarcely  an  acquaintance,  but  who  is  my  junior.  Most  reason- 
ably, therefore,  may  I  expect  soon  to  follow  those  who  are  gone 
from  this  state  of  probation  and  intended  refinement — from 
works  to  rewards ;  and  earnest  are  my  desires,  nor  always  faint 
my  hopes,  that  through  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  it 
will  be  to  be  again  united  in  heaven  with  those  whom  I  have 
loved  best  on  earth.  Not  as  though  I  had  already  attained  a 
sufficient  degree  of  refinement  or  were  already  perfect ;  alas ! 
much  remains  to  be  removed,  much  to  be  acquired,  and  in  how 
short  a  time!  If  it  depended  on  my  own  unassisted  efforts,  or 
my  expectation  rested  upon  works  of  righteousness  which  I 
have  done,  or  can  do,  my  hope  would  perish,  and  my  confidence 
fail ;  but  I  trust  I  may  in  all  humility,  though  in  a  very  limited 
degree,  adopt  the  language  of  the  apostle,  and  say,  '  I  know  in 


8 


A    PROPER    USE    OF    RICHES,  ETC. 


whom  I  have  believed,'  and  commit  my  soul  to  Him,  as  unto 
a  faithful  Creator  and  all-sufficient  Redeemer. 

"  Farewell,  my  dear  nephew ;  unite  thy  prayers  with  me  and 
for  me ;  and  if  we  never  meet  again  in  this  world,  may  we  in 
that  into  which  our  nearest  relations  and  dearest  connections 
have  already  entered ;  there  to  unite  with  them  in  praises  to 
Him  who  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb,  who  is 
worthy  forever.  Amen." 

A  few  days  previous  to  his  decease,  he  bore  this  testimony — 
"  My  faith  and  hope  are,  as  they  have  long  been,  on  the  mercy 
of  God  through  Jesus  Christ,  who  was  the  propitiation  for  my 
sins;  and  not  for  mine  only,  but  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world."  During  his  sickness,  he  was  exceedingly  placid  and 
kind  to  everybody ;  his  countenance  and  conduct  indicating 
that  all  within  was  peace. 

He  died  on  the  10th  of  Ninth  Month,  1816,  aged  81  years. 


No.  102. 


KALPH  DIXON, 


THE  CONVERTED  SOLDIEU. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1890. 


RALPH  DIXON. 


From  some  memoranda  left  by  Ralph  Dixon,  the 
subject  of  the  following  brief  memoir,  it  appears  he 
was  early  visited  by  the  convictions  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
His  mother  was  a  serious  woman.  He  says, — "  One 
day,  it  is  amongst  the  earliest  of  my  recollections,  she 
addressed  me  very  seriously  ;  and  among  other  cautions, 
warned  me  against  using  improper  language.  It  im- 
mediately occurred  to  me  that  I  had  once  offended  in 
this  respect,  and  conviction  seized  me  so  strongly,  that 
I  was  almost  frantic  with  grief.  Seeing  my  distress  of 
mind,  she  kneeled  down  and  supplicated  the  throne  of 
grace  on  my  behalf;  after  which  my  feelings  subsided. 
I  was  not  more  than  four  years  of  age  at  this  time,  but 
my  infant  years  did  not  exempt  me  from  the  temptations 
of  the  enemy  of  souls.  When  six  years  of  age,  I  was 
accused  of  a  fault,  which,  though  guilty,  I  denied ;  but 
I  had  no  sooner  uttered  the  falsehood  than  a  dark 
cloud  came  over  my  mind,  and  I  felt  awfully  condemned. 
I  relate  these  circumstances  to  show,  that  the  Almighty 
does  not  leave  himself  without  a  witness,  even  in  the 
hearts  of  children,  condemning  the  evil  and  approving 
the  good." 

He  seems  to  have  suffered  much  in  his  boyhood  from 
evil  communications.  His  parents,  from  reverses  in 
business,  were  much  reduced  in  their  circumstances, 
and  in  order  to  lessen  their  expenses,  bound  him  appren- 
tice to  a  shoemaker  in  his  native  village  of  Staindrop, 
England,  when  he  was  only  twelve  years  of  age.  He 
says,  "  the  morals  of  my  master's  workmen  were  very 


RALPH  DIXON,  THE  CONVERTED  SOLDIER. 


3 


loose  indeed,  and  although  they  were  often  changed, 
yet.  with  the  exception  of  one  man,  who  only  remained 
in  the  shop  a  few  days,  I  do  not  recollect,  during  the 
whole  of  my  apprenticeship,  one  serious  person  being 
amongst  them.  I  am  sorry  to  say,  I  was  too  ready  a 
learner  in  this  school  of  vice  and  immorality;  and  though 
followed  by  an  accusing  conscience,  yet  I  turned  a  deaf 
ear  to  its  admonitions.  I  well  remember,  about  this 
period  of  my  life,  being  brought  into  very  great  dis- 
tress at  my  awfully  lost  condition  ;  I  passed  a  sleepless 
night,  and  resolved  in  future,  to  live  more  circumspectly; 
but  these  resolutions,  being  made  in  my  own  strength, 
were  soon  forgotten,  and  I  plunged  again  into  folly." 

At  the  expiration  of  his  apprenticeship,  he  visited 
Leeds  for  improvement  in  his  business ;  but  trade  being 
greatly  depressed  in  consequence  of  the  war,  he  found 
much  difficulty  in  obtaining  regular  employment.  He 
says,  "  the  war  with  France  at  this  time  was  very  hot, 
and  the  government  was  forming  an  4  army  of  reserve,' 
and  to  induce  young  men  to  join  it,  were  offering  large 
bounties.  My  fellow-traveller  and  myself,  being  under 
great  discouragement,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  obtain- 
ing work,  determined  to  enlist.  We  had  no  sooner 
put  our  resolution  into  effect,  than  I  became  very  much 
distressed  at  the  rash  act  which  I  had  committed ;  but 
finding  I  could  not  retrace  my  steps,  I  determined  to 
make  the  best  of  my  new  situation."' 

He  afterwards  voluntered  into  the  31st  regiment  of 
foot  for  regular  service.  He  states  in  the  narrative, 
"  It  was  very  evident  that  this  4  army  of  reserve,'  and 
4  army  of  defence,'  as  they  were  called,  were  nothing 
more  than  decoys,  into  which,  under  the  expectation 
of  not  having  to  leave  their  native  country,  young  men 
were  induced  to  enlist ;  and  afterwards  either  tempted 
by  bounties,  or  forced  by  ill  usage,  to  volunteer  into 
the  regular  service." 

The  31st  regiment  was  sent  into  Ireland.  During 
his  sojourn  in  that  island,  he  married  the  daughter  of 


4 


RALPH  DIXON, 


a  soldier.  They  had  not  been  long  married  before 
they  sailed  from  the  Cove  of  Cork  for  actual  service  in 
Spain  and  Portugal,  and  landed  at  Lisbon.  The  sol- 
dier's wives  being  found  a  great  encumbrance,  were 
all  sent  back  to  England.  The  31st  soon  joined  the 
army  under  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley,  and  met  the  French 
at  Talavera.  A  most  sanguinary  battle  ensued,  in  which 
Ralph  Dixon  was  severely  wounded;  a  bullet  having 
passed  through  his  left  shoulder,  and  one  through  the 
middle  finger  of  his  right  hand.  A  bullet  also  passed 
through  his  haversack.  Although  he  was  able  to  walk, 
yet,  in  consequence  of  the  great  loss  of  blood,  it  was 
with  difficulty  he  got  from  the  battle-field  to  the  hos- 
pital at  Lisbon.  A  few  days  after  his  arrival,  the 
wound  in  his  shoulder  mortified,  and  the  medical  men 
considered  his  case  hopeless ;  but  a  gracious  Providence 
had  better  things  in  store  for  him.  To  the  great  sur- 
prise of  all,  the  mortified  part  sloughed  out,  bringing 
away  with  it  splinters  of  bone,  after  which,  the  wound 
so  far  healed  as  to  enable  him  to  undertake  the  voyage 
back  to  his  native  country.  Twelve  months  after  his 
arrival,  he  was  discharged  an  out-pensioner  of  Chelsea 
Hospital,  with  one  shilling  per  day ;  and  returned  with 
his  wife  and  infant  son,  to  his  native  village,  to  the 
great  pleasure  of  his  parents,  especially  of  his  dear 
mother,  who  loved  him  most  tenderly,  and  whose  peti- 
tions at  the  throne  of  grace  for  his  preservation  had 
been  many  and  fervent.  For  the  maintenance  of  him- 
self and  family,  he  turned  his  attention  again  to  shoe- 
making;  but  in  consequence  of  the  weakness  of  his 
wounded  shoulder,  the  loss  of  a  finger,  and  want  of 
practice,  he  made  poor  wages,  which  compelled  him 
to  work  long  hours  to  make  up  deficiencies.  Finding 
his  health  giving  way  under  such  close  application,  he 
opened  a  little  shop  for  the  sale  of  provisions  and  drugs, 
which  he  gradually  extended,  and  which  soon  required 
his  undivided  attention.  His  sufferings  in  the  army 
had  so  undermined  his  constitution,  that  he  seldom 


THE  CONVERTED  SOLDIER. 


5 


enjoyed  good  health,  and  repeated  attacks  of  hem- 
orrhage from  the  lungs  rendered  him  an  infirm  man 
for  the  rest  of  his  life. 

But  to  return  to  his  own  simple  narrative  : — "  Soon 
after  I  had  settled  down  in  my  native  village,  my  mind 
took  a  serious  turn,  and  I  was  pretty  punctual  in  attend- 
ing a  place  of  worship  of  some  kind.  My  youngest 
and  surviving  brother  had  joined  the  Methodists,  and 
often  preached  amongst  them.  He  was  a  schoolmaster, 
and  being  very  intelligent,  it  was  pleasant  to  me  to 
have  his  company.  One  day  he  gave  me  an  outline  of 
a  sermon  he  had  just  preached  from  the  text,  '  The 
wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell,  and  all  the  nations 
that  forget  God.'  The  words  of  the  text  took  ^reat 
hold  on  my  mind,  and  I  saw  that  although  I  was  not 
outwardly  wicked,  I  was  among  those  that  were  for- 
getting God.  My  convictions  gradually  deepened,  but 
I  was  not  brought  to  that  state  of  distress  which  some 
experience,  and  I  often  sorrowed  because  I  thought 
I  was  not  sufficiently  sorrowful.  One  First-day,  feeling 
my  mind  more  than  usually  burdened,  I  retired  to  a 
private  place,  and  kneeling  down,  opened  my  Bible, 
when  this  passage  caught  my  eye :  '  What  God  hath 
cleansed,  that  call  not  thou  common.'  The  cloud  dis- 
persed, and  my  contrite  heart  was  favored  to  feel  a 
measure  of  peace. 

"  About  this  time  I  joined  the  Methodists.  My  wife, 
becoming  serious,  joined  them  a  little  after.  I  attended 
class-meetings  regularly,  but  with  them  I  was  very 
much  dissatisfied;  finding  that  some  gave  evasive 
answers  to  the  interrogations  of  their  leader,  and  others 
made  an  ostentatious  display  of  their  experience ;  errors 
into  which  I  was  insensibly  falling  myself.  I  was 
zealous  in  attending  prayer  meetings,  and  prayed  with 
my  family  morning  and  evening.  About  this  time  I 
had  a  little  book  put  into  my  hands,  called  '  A  Guide 
to  True  Peace,  or,  How  to  Attain  Inward  and  Spiritual 
Prayer :'  from  perusing  which  I  was  led  to  see,  what 


6 


RALPH  DIXON, 


I  had  often  felt,  that  my  lifeless  performances  only 
tended  to  poverty  of  spirit,  and  came  under  the  condem- 
nation of  '  vain  repetitions/  against  which  the  blessed 
Eedeemer  warned  his  followers.  My  mind  was  now 
turned  toward  the  Society  of  Friends.  I  read  several 
of  their  books;  and,  a  minister  of  their  persuasion 
holding  a  public  meeting  at  Staindrop,  I  attended  it. 
The  opportunity  was  a  very  favored  one ;  and  doctrinal 
points  were  so  far  explained  to  my  satisfaction,  that  I 
said  in  my  heart, '  This  people  shall  be  my  people,  and 
their  God  my  God.' 

"  I  soon  left  the  Methodist  society,  and  became  a 
regular  attender  of  Friends'  Meetings,  both  First-days 
and  week-days.  The  more  I  examined  their  principles, 
the  more  congenial  they  appeared  to  my  own  mind 
and  feelings,  and  in  accordance  with  the  Scriptures  of 
Truth.  I  had  nothing  but  love  to  the  Methodists. 
The  greatest  trial  was  the  displeasure  of  my  brother. 
My  wife  continued  to  attend  the  Methodists'  Meetings, 
and  I  did  what  I  could  to  promote  her  doing  so;  but 
getting  uneasy  with  many  of  their  ceremonies,  without 
any  persuasion  of  mine,  she  left  them,  and  attended 
the  meetings  of  Friends.  I  found  it  required  of  me, 
if  I  wished  to  be  faithful  to  what  I  felt  in  my  OAvn 
mind  to  be  in  accordance  with  truth,  to  adopt  the 
address  and  dress  of  Friends;  the  latter  cost  me  no 
sacrifice,  but  to  use  the  plain  language  was  a  great 
mortification.  My  views  respecting  war  were  now 
changed,  and  my  pension  became  a  subject  of  serious 
consideration,  as  it  stood  in  the  way  of  my  being 
received  into  membership.  I  could  not,  however,  see 
my  way  clear  to  give  it  up.  I  had  to  appear  before  a 
magistrate  half-yearly,  and  swear  before  him  that  I 
was  the  person  mentioned  in  the  instructions  given  me 
from  Chelsea  Hospital,  before  I  could  obtain  my  pen- 
sion. This  brought  me  into  a  very  strait  place,  for  I 
was  fully  convinced  that  the  taking  of  an  oath  was 
contrary  to  the  command  of  our  Saviour.    I  therefore 


THE  CONVERTED  SOLDIER. 


7 


determined  the  next  time  I  appeared  before  a  magis- 
trate, to  offer  him  my  affirmation.  The  magistrate 
who  generally  signed  my  affidavits  was  a  clergyman. 
On  the  road  to  his  house,  a  distance  of  four  miles,  I 
was  much  cast  down,  and  earnest  were  my  cries  to  the 
Lord,  that  He  would  give  me  strength  to  be  faithful. 
On  my  arrival  at  his  house,  I  offered  him  my  affirma- 
tion, which  he  accepted,  and  took  no  offence,  either  at 
my  hat  or  plain  language.  I  returned  home,  thankful 
in  having  thus  far  succeeded.  My  pension  still  bur- 
dened my  mind,  the  unflattering  witness  in  my  own 
breast  showed  me  that  if  I  would  be  faithful  to  this 
unerring  guide,  I  must  make  the  sacrifice.  Friends 
were  very  tender  over  me,  seldom  mentioning  the  sub- 
ject, believing,  no  doubt,  that  in  time,  faith  would  gain 
the  victory. 

"  My  appearing  before  the  collector  of  excise,  dressed 
as  a  Friend,  and  with  my  hat  on,  to  receive  my  pen- 
sion, appeared  strange,  no  doubt,  to  many.  On  one 
occasion,  an  exciseman  came  towards  me  in  a  hasty 
manner,  intending  to  take  off  my  hat;  but  another 
officer  who  knew  me,  said,  '  Let  him  alone,  he  is  a 
Quaker.'  He  immediately  replied, '  If  he  is  a  Quaker, 
what  business  has  he  with  a  pension  V  I  keenly  felt 
this  rebuke,  and  it  was  indeed  a  word  in  season.  I 
now  saw  more  clearly  the  inconsistency  between  my 
profession  and  practice,  besides  depriving  myself  and 
family  of  many  religious  privileges.  I  began  to  be 
more  in  earnest  in  a  matter  of  such  great  importance. 
Taking  a  walk  one  day  in  the  fields,  with  a  heavy 
burden  upon  my  mind,  I  earnestly  besought  the  Lord 
to  show  me,  in  some  particular  way,  his  will  in  respect 
to  my  pension,  and  I  would  obey  it.  In  great  conde- 
scension to  my  weakness,  he  answered  my  prayer ;  for, 
a  day  or  two  afterwards,  two  ministers  came  to  our 
Week-day  Meeting  very  unexpectedly,  having  been 
with  us  only  a  few  days  before ;  and  what  they  had  to 
say,  the  one  in  testimony,  and  the  other  in  supplica- 


8 


RALPH  DIXON, 


tion,  was  in  such  a  remarkable  manner  applicable  to 
my  case,  that  I  could  no  longer  doubt." 

About  this  time  he  addressed  the  following  letter : 

"  To  the  Duke  of  Wellington : 

"  Respected  friend. — I  was  formerly  a  soldier  in  the 
31st  regiment  of  foot ;  but,  in  consequence  of  wounds 
which  I  received  at  the  battle  of  Talavera  (namely, 
shot  through  the  left  shoulder  and  wounded  in  the 
right  hand,)  was  discharged  with  a  pension  of  one 
shilling  per  day,  which  I  have  received  ever  since. 
But  having  been  long  convinced  that  all  war  is  anti- 
christian,  I  have  felt  at  times  uneasy  under  a  persuasion 
that  the  receiving  of  a  pension  was  inconsistent  with 
that  belief;  besides,  being  a  burden  to  the  public  in 
these  times  of  distress,  I  have  often  felt  painfully.  So 
that,  notwithstanding  I  have  a  large  family  to  maintain, 
and  not  in  any  great  circumstances,  I  have  found  it  my 
duty  to  resign  again  into  the  hands  of  government  the 
pension  which  was  kindly  given  me,  and  for  which  I 
return  thanks. 

"  Next  to  Divine  Providence,  my  thanks  are  due  to 
thee,  0  Duke !  for  the  great  care  that  was  taken  of 
the  sick  and  wounded  in  the  Peninsula,  otherwise  my 
life  could  not  have  been  preserved ;  a  grateful  remem- 
brance of  which,  with  the  foregoing  reason,  is  the  cause 
of  my  taking  the  great  liberty  of  troubling  thee  with 
this  letter.  Desiring  thy  present  and  everlasting  wel- 
lare,  I  remain, 

"  Thy  friend, 

Ralph  Dixon. 

"  Staindrop,  County  of  Durham, 
"Sixth  Mo.,  27,  1830." 

To  this  letter  he  received  the  following  reply : 

"  Royal  Hospital,  Chelsea,  27th  July,  1830. 
"  To  Ralph  Dixon. 

"I  laid  before  the  lords  and  other  commissioners  of 
this  Hospital,  at  their  late  meeting,  your  letter  of  the 


THE  CONVERTED  SOLDIER. 


9 


1st  instant,  addressed  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  which 
has  been  referred  to  this  department;  when  their 
lordships,  upon  considering  the  same,  directed  me  to 
acquaint  you,  that  so  long  as  you  may  think  proper  to 
discontinue  to  transmit  the  usual  quarterly  affidavits, 
no  pension  can  be  issued  on  you  account ;  but  in  con- 
sideration of  your  wife  and  family,  their  lordships  have 
desired  that,  in  the  event  of  your  making  application 
for  your  pension  at  any  future  period,  the  same  is  to 
be  paid  to  you  as  heretofore. 

"  Richard  Neave, 

"  Secretary  and  Registrar. 

"Staindrop,  Durham." 

After  passing  through  this  trial  of  faith,  he  and  his 
family  became  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 
Soon  after  this  event  he  was  introduced  into  fresh  trials 
growing  out  of  his  straitened  circumstances.  Having 
lost  his  pension,  and  £20  being  required  for  the  admis- 
sion of  two  of  his  children  to  a  boarding-school,  besides 
their  outfit  and  travelling  expenses,  he  became  fearful 
lest  he  should  be  unable  to  meet  his  pecuniary  engage- 
ments. He  says,  "  In  order  to  lessen  the  expenses  of 
the  journey,  I  concluded  to  take  my  children  by  wagon 
to  York;  but  on  making  inquiry  at  the  office  of  the 
owner,  I  was  informed  they  did  not  take  passengers. 
It  Avas  intimated  to  me,  by  one  of  the  men,  that  if  I 
Avalked  a  little  way  out  of  the  town,  the  wagoner  would 
take  us  up  on  the  road.  I  did  not  feel  satisfied  to  act 
in  this  underhand  way.  At  our  Week-day  Meeting, 
the  enemy  suggested  to  me  that  I  was  too  particular, 
and  that  there  could  be  no  great  harm  in  my  going 
with  the  wagon.  After  a  little  struggle,  truth  pre- 
vailed, and  I  determined  to  go  by  coach.  A  holy  calm 
spread  over  me,  and  my  mind  became  peaceful  the 
remainder  of  the  meeting.  After  which  a  kind  friend 
called  and  put  £10  into  my  hands  towards  sending  my 
children  to  school.  I  could  not  look  upon  this  in  any 
other  light  than  the  interposition  of  a  kind  Providence." 


10 


RALPH  DIXON, 


As  he  grew  in  years  he  grew  in  grace ;  his  feelings, 
once  too  sensitive,  became  remarkably  calm  and  peace- 
ful. When  his  health  permitted  he  was  very  regular 
in  attending  meetings  for  worship  both  on  First  and 
other  days  of  the  week,  and  his  serious  deportment 
cherein  evinced  the  deep  exercise  of  his  soul  before  the 
Lord.  He  sometimes  spoke  of  them  as  highly  favored 
seasons  and  times  of  spiritual  refreshment  to  him, 
though  generally  held  in  silence.  He  was  not  unfre- 
quently  called  upon  to  explain  to  others  the  principles 
of  truth  of  which  he  had  been  convinced — a  work  for 
which  he  was  peculiarly  qualified ;  and  it  was  instruc- 
tive to  hear  how  clearly  he  proved  them  in  accordance 
with  Scripture,  and  generally  satisfied  the  inquirer  of 
their  soundness.  He  used  to  say,  "  it  is  easy  to  con- 
vince ;  but  the  cross, — the  narrow,  self-denying  path, 
is  the  great  stumbling-stone." 

He  loved  to  peruse  the  Bible,  and  encouraged  his 
children  in  the  practice  by  narrating  to  them  the  most 
striking  parts  of  Scripture  history.  It  is  stated  at  times 
when  the  Scriptures  were  read  in  his  family,  the 
heavenly  wing  of  ancient  goodness  was  so  remarkably 
spread  over  them  that  all  were  in  tears. 

His  annual  savings  increased  notwithstanding  the 
loss  of  his  pension,  and  this  made  his  heart  overflow 
with  gratitude  to  his  Heavenly  Father.  An  assurance 
which  had  been  given  him  that  he  should  be  able  to 
bring  up  his  family  without  it,  was  strikingly  realized ; 
for  his  youngest  son  finished  his  apprenticeship  about 
the  time  of  his  father's  death. 

The  poor  always  found  in  him  a  kind,  sympathizing 
friend,  and  to  the  utmost  of  his  ability  he  administered 
to  their  wants.  His  skill  in  medicine  enabled  him 
from  his  own  little  stock  of  drugs  to  alleviate  their 
bodily  sufferings.  His  neighbors  frequently  sought 
his  advice  when  difficulties  and  perplexities  overtook 
them,  and  when  they  were  on  the  bed  of  sickness  he 


THE  CONVERTED  SOLDIER. 


11 


was  often  concerned  to  direct  them  to  the  only  source 
of  help. 

He  was  in  the  practice  of  lending  religious  tracts  to 
such  as  wished  them,  and  from  an  account  which  he 
kept  it  appears  that  for  a  long  time  a  large  number 
were  put  in  circulation  in  this  way. 

At  one  time,  he  established  a  drapery  business  in 
connection  with  his  provision  and  drug  trade ;  but  to 
recommend  to  others  articles  of  apparel  which  he  could 
not  allow  his  own  children  to  wear,  was  such  a  burden 
to  his  tender  conscience,  that  he  gave  it  up. 

The  following  memorandum,  written  on  the  41st 
anniversary  of  the  day  on  which  he  was  wounded,  was 
found  in  his  pocket-book  : 

"  Seventh  mo.  28th,  1850.  Forty-one  years  to-day 
since  I  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Talavera.  What 
a  mercy  that  I  was  not  then  cut  off!  Although  utterly 
unworthy,  truly  I  may  say,  the  Lord  was  my  salvation. 
He  covered  my  head  in  the  day  of  battle.  Xotwith- 
standing  the  many  hardships  and  troubles  I  have  since 
passed  through,  goodness  and  mercy  have  followed  me 
all  the  da\s  of  my  life.  To-morrow,  if  all  be  well,  my 
wife  and  I  intend  setting  out  for  Ay  ton,  and  it  is  not 
without  some  degree  of  pleasure  that  I  look  forward 
to  our  visit.  Yet  I  am  not  without  solicitude  for  those 
we  leave  behind.  It  will  be  forty-two  years  to-morrow 
since  we  were  married — one  year  less  a  day  from  the 
time  of  our  marriage  to  the  day  on  which  I  was  wounded. " 

The  lingering  illness  and  the  death  of  several  of  his 
children  he  felt  keenly ;  yet  it  was  instructive  to  those 
around  him,  to  witness  the  Christian  fortitude  with 
which  he  bore  the  chastenings.  He  believed  that  in 
inscrutable  wisdom  they  had  been  taken  whilst  in 
comparative  innocence ;  and  firm  was  his  belief,  that 
through  the  redeeming  love  and  mercy  of  God,  in 
Christ  Jesus,  they  were  in  a  better  and  happier  world. 

He  had  for  many  years  been  afflicted  with  a  cough ; 
and  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1854,  in  the  sixty-eighth 


12  RALPH  DIXON,  THE  CONVERTED  SOLDIER. 


year  of  his  age,  he  was  seized  with  a  cold,  which  very 
much  prostrated  his  strength.  His  breathing  became 
laborious,  and  he  felt  the  end  rapidly  approaching. 
The  accuser  of  the  breathren  was  again  permitted  to 
come  in  like  a  flood ;  but  He  who  had  brought  him 
through  so  many  perils,  enabled  him  again  to  triumph. 

He  addressed  his  family  individually  as  opportunities 
occurred,  giving  them  suitable  admonition,  and  com- 
mitting them  to  the  Lord.  To  one  of  his  sons,  who 
arrived  a  few  hours  before  his  death,  he  said,  "  I  have 
had  to  come  down  very  low,  but  I  have  not  been 
forsaken ;  my  sufferings  have  been  great,  but  I  have 
desired  patience,  and  it  has  been  mercifully  granted. 
Blessed  be  his  holy  name,  '  He  giveth  to  all  men 
liberally  and  upbraideth  not;'"  raising  his  voice  and 
looking  at  his  son  with  great  earnestness,  he  reiterated, 
"  No  upbraiding."  All  his  family  were  now  around 
him,  and  it  was  evident  to  them  that  life  was  fast  ebb- 
ing. He  was  perfectly  sensible  and  took  leave  of  an 
invalid  daughter  who  addressed  him  very  sweetly. 
Her  desire  that  he  might  have  a  short  and  easy  pas- 
sage was  remarkably  granted.  All  was  now  peace 
and  serenity.  His  breathing  became  gradually  shorter, 
and  in  a  few  minutes,  without  a  sigh,  or  the  least 
appearance  of  suffering,  his  purified  spirit  took  its 
flight,  doubtless  to  join  the  church  triumphant  in  heaven, 
and  the  ranks  of  those  "  who  have  come  out  of  much 
tribulation,  and  have  washed  their  robes  and  made 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb." 


Xo.  103. 


A  NEW  CHILD: 

A  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

LYDIA  ANN  NIXON. 


Lydia  Ann  Nixon  was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  Pa., 
in  1835.  Her  parents  had  resided  in  North  Carolina,  where 
they,  with  many  other  colored  persons,  had  long  been  under 
the  care  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  A  number  of  this  com- 
pany, including  the  parents  of  Lydia  Ann,  had  been  sent  to 
Philadelphia,  and  Friends  of  that  city  interested  themselves 
in  obtaining  suitable  places  for  them.  Her  parents  resided  for 
some  time  in  the  family  of  Hannah  Williams,  of  Plymouth, 
and  Lydia  Ann,  when  four  years  of  age,  was  regularly  inden- 
tured to  Abigail,  her  youngest  daughter.  Being  thus  under 
her  particular  care,  the  young  child  clung  to  her  as  to  a  mother, 
and  the  filial  feeling  remained  through  life. 

Much  care  was  bestowed  on  her,  both  in  instructing  in  good, 
and  in  restraining  her  from  evil.  She  was  taught  to  read  and 
write,  as  well  as  to  perform  those  household  duties  which 
appertained  to  her  station  in  life.  As  she  advanced  in  years, 
she  manifested  a  tender  and  kind  feeling  for  others,  showed 
much  sympathy  for  the  sick  and  afflicted, — gladly  embracing 
every  opportunity  of  waiting  upon  them,  and  was  very  con- 
siderate and  humane  to  the  brute  creation.  She  very  early  in 
life  manifested  a  fondness  for  serious  reading,  and  often  spent 
her  First-day  afternoons  in  copying  religious  verses.  She  was 
careful  of  her  things,  and  the  books  presented  to  her  she  neatly 
covered,  to  protect  from  injury. 

After  the  death  of  Hannah  Williams,  the  household  was 
broken  up,  and  Lydia  Ann  was  brought  to  Philadelphia. 
After  being  a  time  with  one  of  the  family  residing  in  the  city, 
she  learned  the  trade  of  mantua-making.  In  1854  she  went  to 
the  Shelter  for  Colored  Orphans,  in  Philadelphia,  to  take  care 


A  NEW  CHILD  : 


of  a  part  of  the  little  children  in  the  nursery.  All  this  time 
she  was  under  the  care  of  her  early  friends,  who  watched  over 
her  welfare. 

During  the  winter  of  1854-5,  she  took  a  heavy  cold,  and 
feeling  her  health  declining,  she  wished  to  get  again  into  the 
family,  and  spend  her  last  days  among  those  who  had  brought 
her  up.  They  still,  to  her,  were  the  dearest  of  earthly  objects. 
Phoebe,  one  of  the  daughters  of  Hannah  Williams,  with  her 
husband,  had  removed  to  Chester  County,  and  their  house 
seemed  the  most  suitable  "place  for  the  poor  invalid.  Early  in 
1855,  the  physician  who  was  sent  for,  pronounced  her  right 
lung  much  diseased,  and  gave  it  as  his  opinion,  that  she  would 
never  be  much  better.  So  it  proved.  The  progress  of  the 
disease  was  rapid. 

She  did  not  complain  of  much  pain,  but  lay  very  still  and 
quiet,  in  patient,  cheerful  submission  to  her  lot.  She  was  very 
fond  of  hearing  the  Holy  Scriptures  read,  as  well  as  other 
good  books,  and  often  requested  those  with  her  to  read  them. 
It  was  particularly  pleasant  to  her  to  hear  little  Alice,  one  of 
Jacob  Roberts'  young  children,  read,  and  she  said  the  reading 
of  no  one  seemed  so  good  to  her.  It  is  probable  that  the 
child  read  slowly,  and  with  childish  simplicity,  and  Lydia  Ann 
felt,  although  a  woman  in  age,  as  if  she  too  had  become  a  little 
child. 

A  few  days  before  her  death,  she  desired  Sarah  to  arrange 
the  things  in  her  trunk,  telling  her  there  was  a  pack  of  con- 
versation cards  in  it,  which  she  wished  burned  ;  she  added, 
"  they  are  not  considered  a  bad  kind  of  cards — but  foolish — 
and  I  do  not  want  any  one  to  have  them." 

Mary  Ann,  a  young  woman  who  lived  with  J.  Roberts, 
came  into  her  room,  and  sat  down  by  the  bed.  The  sick  girl, 
observing  her  white  undersleeves,  took  hold  of  them,  and  said, 
— "  Mary  Ann,  I  have  seen  the  day  when  I  thought  as  much 
of  these  things  as  thee  can.  I  could  not  get  finery  enough  to 
put  on  ! — but — I  feel  very  different  now  !  " 

She  desired  to  see  her  brother,  who  was  living  in  the  family 
of  J.  Roberts.  He  was  soon  by  her  bedside.  She  seemed 
pleased  to  see  him,  inquired  what  he  had  been  doing  that 
morning,  and  then,  after  a  silence  of  a  few  minutes,  she  ad- 
dressed him  in  very  suitable  language,  instructive  and  strik- 
ing.   She  told  him  that  she  was  very  desirous  that  he  might 


A  BIOGRAPHY  OF  LYDIA  ANN  NIXON. 


3 


be  a  good  boy,  and  grow  up  to  be  a  good  man, — if  he  should 
live.  She  expressed  her  earnest  desire  that  he  would  never 
tell  stories,  or  take  anything  that  was  not  his  own,  adding,  "I 
don't  know  how  I  should  feel  now,  if  I  had  done  so;  but  I 
never  did.  Mistress  Hannah  told  me  on  her  death-bed,  and  I 
now  tell  thee,  Jakey, — '  Lydia  Ann  try  to  be  good,  that  when 
thee  dies,  thee  may  go  to  heaven.'  Now,  Jakey,  thy  father  is 
dead,  and  I  am  going, — and  if  thee  should  live  to  be  a  man,  I 
hope  thee  will  be  good.  I  want  thee  to  mind  what  is  said  to 
thee.  Don't  be  saucy.  I  heard  thee  answer  back  the  other 
day.  Here  is  a  card,  with  good  advice  on  it.  I  want  thee  to 
have  it  and  keep  it  as  long  as  thee  lives,  to  remember  me. 
Now  thee  can  put  it  away  carefully."  This  card  she  had 
selected  for  him  the  day  before,  from  among  her  treasures.  It 
was  headed  with  the  following  passage  from  Scripture  :  "  Enter 
not  into  the  path  of  the  wicked,  and  go  not  in  the  way  of 
evil  men  ;  avoid  it,  pass  not  by  it,  turn  from  it,  and  pass 
away."    Pro  v.  iv.  14,  15. 

After  her  brother  left  her,  she  inquired  of  Sarah,  "  Have  I 
been  patient  ?  I  have  tried  to  be."  She  was  told  she  had 
been  remarkably  preserved  in  patience  throughout  her  illness. 
She  felt  her  close  w7as  drawing  near,  and  requested  the  family 
to  be  called.  She  looked  upon  them  with  great  composure, 
then  extended  her  hand  to  each,  bidding  them  farewell,  and 
saying,  "  I  am  well."  To  her  mother  she  said,  "  Mother,  don't 
weep  for  me!  I  am  not  afraid  to  die."  She  then  continued, — 
"  I  have  prayed  and  prayed — I  could  not  make  out  much — 
but  I  have  faith  and  trust.  I  believe  I  am  prepared.  I  feel 
like  a  new  child.  Nothing  seems  to  trouble  me.  I  feel  so 
happy,  happy.  I  am  going  to  that  happy  home  in  Heaven. 
My  Heavenly  Father  is  calling  me.  I  hope  to  meet  you  all 
in  Heaven." 

As  Jacob  was  not  at  home,  she  said,  "  I'll  leave  a  message 
for  him.  Tell  him,  farewell !  Tell  him  I  feel  much  obliged 
for  their  kindness  to  me.  They  could  not  have  done  more  for 
one  of  their  own  children.  I  want  him  to  bring  Jakey  up." 
Here  her  voice  for  the  first  time  faltered.  Her  heart  seemed 
too  full  for  her  to  finish  the  sentence.  She  was  silent  a  few 
minutes,  and  then  continued,  "  I  have  talked  a  great  deal  to 
him,  and  tried  to  persuade  him  to  be  a  good  boy.  I  am  thank- 


4 


A  NEW  CHILD,  ETC. 


ful  he  has,  such  a  good  home.  I  told  him  I  never  forgot  the 
care  'Aunt  Hannah '  and  all  of  you  took  of  me." 

Throughout  her  sickness,  she  was  very  thoughtful  about  the 
comfort  of  those  who  waited  on  her.  She  wa3  very  thankful 
for  every  act  of  kindness  and  attention  shown  her,  and  prompt 
in  expressing  her  obligations.  Indeed,  she  was  so  remarkably 
patient,  quiet,  and  easy  to  be  pleased,  and  so  grateful  withal, 
that  every  member  of  the  family  derived  comfort  and  satis- 
faction from  waiting  upon  her. 

On  reviving  from  a  sinking  spell,  she  said,  "  I  don't  feel 
anything  against  anybody.  What  a  beautiful  day  this  is. 
That  is  not  why  I  feel  so  happy.  I  feel  like  a  new  child."  She 
had  then  another  sinking  spell,  and  it  seemed  for  a  time  as 
though  the  last  struggle  was  on  her.  She  revived,  however, 
and  soon  broke  the  silence  which  reigned  in  her  room,  by 
repeating  Watts'  hymn  beginning, 

"On  Jordan's  stormy  banks,  I  stand." 

The  situation  in  which  Lydia  Ann  was  lying,  so  evidently 
feeling  the  full  force  of  the  beautiful  verses  she  was  repeating, 
and  her  voice  was  so  melodious,  that  the  hymn  seemed  very 
sweet  and  solemn  to  those  by  her  bed-side.  Two  others  she 
repeated,  and  then  her  voice  failed.  After  a  time,  Sarah  draw- 
ing near  her,  heard  her  repeat,  "  Glory  !  glory  !  "  After  this, 
she  had  a  short  period  of  extreme  bodily  suffering,  during 
which  Phoebe  said  to  her,  "  Dear  child  !  thy  suffering  will  soon 
be  over, — and  I  believe  a  mansion  is  prepared  for  thee ;  and 
that  the  Lord  will  be  with  thee,  through  the  valley  and  shadow 
of  death." 

Her  fever  soon  subsided,  and  she  lay  perfectly  quiet,  and 
passed  away  peacefully  and  easily.  A  pleasant  smile  settled 
on  her  countenance.  The  family,  who  were  collected  in  the 
room,  felt  a  comfortable  assurance  that  a  blessed  change  had 
taken  place,  and  that  for  the  late  patient  sufferer  there  was 
nothing  to  desire ;  but  they  were  exhorted  to  attend  individu- 
ally to  that  witness  for  God  within,  which,  if  followed  faith- 
fuily,  will,  through  the  mercies  of  God,  in  Christ  Jesus,  our 
Lord,  fit  every  one  for  fulfilling  their  earthly  duties,  and  pre- 
pare them  to  receive  the  crown  of  glory. 

She  died  in  the  Sixth  month,  1855,  agred  twenty  years. 

Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  304  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia. 


No.  104. 

GAY  AND  COSTLY 

APPAREL. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  PEIEITDS. 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1890. 


GAY  AND  COSTLY  APPAREL. 


CLEMENT  OP  ALEXANDKIA,  (who  lived  early  in  the  third 

century.) 

"  The  garments  that  we  should  wear  ought  to  be  simple  and 
frugal,  not  cunningly  wrought  with  devious  colors.  That  is 
true  simplicity  of  habit  which  takes  away  what  is  vain  and 
superfluous;  and  that  is  the  best  and  most  solid  garment 
which  is  furthest  from  art  and  curiosity,  and  most  apt  to  pre- 
serve and  keep  warm  the  body." 

DON  CLAUDE  LANCELOT.  (Roman  Catholic). 

"  Of  how  much  importance  it  is,  not  only  to  retain  Christian 
principle  in  its  integrity,  but  also  to  let  it  appear  externally, 
and  allow  it  to  model  even  the  least  circumstance  of  counte- 
nance, manners,  dress — in  short,  the  whole  demeanor.  A 
Christian  appearance  speaks  irresistibly,  though  silently,  to 
those  who  would  not  listen  to  Christian  conversation." 

WILLIAM  PENN,  (Founder  of  Pennsylvania.) 

"  Pride  leads  people  to  a  fond  value  of  their  persons,  espe- 
cially if  they  have  any  pretensions  to  shape  or  beauty.  It  is 
admirable  to  see  how  much  some  are  taken  with  themselves,  as 
if  nothing  else  deserved  their  regard  or  the  good  opinion  of 
others.  It  would  abate  their  folly  if  they  could  find  in  their 
hearts  to  spare  but  half  of  the  time  to  think  of  God  and  their 


GAY  AND  COSTLY  APPAREL. 


e 


latter  end,  which  they  most  prodigally  spend  in  perfuming, 
painting,  attiring  and  dressing.  In  these  things  they  are  very 
precise  and  artificial,  and  for  cost  they  spare  not.  That  which 
aggravates  the  evil  is,  that  the  pride  of  one  might  comfortably 
supply  the  need  of  ten.  Gross  impiety  it  is  that  a  nation's 
pride  should  not  be  spared  to  a  nation's  poor !  But  what  is 
this  for  at  last  ?  Only  to  be  admired,  to  have  reverence,  to 
draw  love,  and  to  command  the  eyes  and  affections  of  behold- 
ers. And  so  fantastic  are  they  in  it,  as  hardly  to  be  pleased. 
Nothing,  scarcely,  is  good,  or  fine,  or  fashionable  enough  for 
them.  The  sun  itself,  the  blessing  of  heaven,  must  not  shine 
upon  them,  lest  it  tan  them ;  nor  the  wind  blow  upon  them, 
lest  it  disorder  them.  O  impious  nicety !  While  they  value 
themselves  above  all  else,  they  make  themselves  the  slaves  of 
their  own  pride,  worshipping  their  shape,  features,  or  com- 
plexion, whichsoever  is  their  excellency.  In  such  follies  we 
have  a  specimen  of  man — what  a  creature  he  is  in  his  lapse 
from  his  primitive  image.  All  this,  as  Jesus  said  of  sin  of  old, 
comes  from  within — from  the  disregard  of  men  and  women  to 
the  Word  of  their  Creator  in  their  hearts ;  which  shows  pride, 
and  teaches  humility  and  self-abasement,  and  directs  the  mind 
to  the  true  object  of  honor  and  worship  ;  and  that  with  an  awe 
and  reverence  suitable  to  his  sovereignty  and  majesty.  Poor 
mortals !  But  living  dirt,  made  of  what  they  tread  on :  who, 
with  all  their  pride  and  finery,  cannot  secure  themselves  from 
the  spoil  of  sickness,  much  less  from  the  scroke  of  death.  Oh, 
did  people  consider  the  inconstancy  of  all  visible  things,  the 
crosses  and  adverse  occurrences  of  man's  life,  the  certainty  of 
his  departure,  and  of  eternal  judgment  it  is  to  be  hoped  they 
would  bring  their  deeds  to  Christ's  light  in  their  hearts,  and 
see  whether  they  are  taught  in  God  or  not." 

He  also  says,  "  Plainness  is  odd,  uncouth  and  goes  mightily 
against  the  grain ;  but  so  does  Christianity  too,  and  that  for 
the  same  reasons.    But  had  not  the  heathen  spirit  prevailed 


4 


GAY  AND  COSTLY  APPAREL. 


too  long  under  a  Christian  profession,  it  would  not  be  so  hard 
to  discover  the  right  from  the  wrong.  Oh  that  Christians 
would  look  upon  themselves  with  the  glass  of  righteousness ! 
and  let  them  examine  what  in  them  and  about  them  agrees 
with  Christ's  doctrine  and  life.  How  much,  how  deeply,  have 
those  who  are  called  Christians  revolted  from  the  plainness  of 
the  primitive  days,  and  practice  of  holy  men  and  women  in 
former  ages!  How  are  they  become  degenerated  into  the 
loose,  proud,  and  wanton  customs  of  the  world,  which  knows 
not  God,  to  whom  use  hath  made  these  things  (condemned  by 
Scriptures,  reason  and  example)  almost  natural!  And  so 
insensible  are  they  of  both  their  cause  and  bad  effects,  that 
they  not  only  costume  to  practise  them,  but  plead  for  them, 
and  unchristianly  make  a  very  mock  of  those  who  cannot  imi- 
tate them." — No  Gross  No  Crown. 

JOHN  WESLEY,  (Methodist). 

"The  wearing  gay  or  costly  apparel  naturally  tends  to 
breed  and  to  increase  vanity.  By  vanity  I  here  mean  the  love 
and  desire  of  being  admired  and  praised.  Every  one  of  you 
that  is  fond  of  dress  has  a  witness  of  this  in  your  own  bosom. 
Whether  you  will  confess  it  before  man  or  not,  you  are  con- 
vinced of  this  before  God.  You  know  in  your  hearts,  it  is 
with  a  view  to  be  admired  that  you  thus  adorn  yourselves ; 
and  that  you  would  not  be  at  the  pains  were  none  to  see  you 
but  God  and  his  holy  angels.  Now  the  more  you  indulge  this 
foolish  desire,  the  more  it  grows  upon  you.  You  have  vanity 
enough  by  nature ;  and  by  thus  indulging  it,  you  increase  it 
an  hundredfold.  Oh,  stop !  aim  at  pleasing  God  alone,  and 
all  these  ornaments  will  drop  of£" 


GAY  AND  COSTLY  APPAREL. 


5 


MARY  FLETCHEE,  (Episcopalian.) 

The  following  observations  and  conclusions  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  personal  attire  and  behavior  were  made  by  Mary 
Fletcher,  in  the  nineteenth  year  of  her  age,  and  are  the  more 
valuable  from  the  circumstance  of  her  having  been  "  brought 
up  amid  the  gayeties  of  fashionable  life,  and  surrounded  by  the 
seductions  of  wealth  and  pleasure."  They  may  be  taken  as 
evidences  of  her  sincere  conversion  through  attention  to  the 
secret  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  her  mind.  She 
was  the  wife  of  John  Fletcher,  vicar  of  Medley,  Shropshire, 
England. 

She  says,  "I  prayed  for  direction,  and  saw  clearly  that 
plainness  of  dress  and  behavior  best  became  a  Christian ;  and 
that  for  the  following  reasons,  among  others  : 

"  The  Apostle  expressly  forbids  women  professing  godliness 
to  let  their  adorning  be  in  apparel ;  allowing  them  no  other 
ornament  than  that  of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit. 

"  When  I  appeared  like  the  world,  in  Babylonish  garments, 
I  had  its  esteem  aud  knew  not  how  to  part  with  it.  But  when 
I  showed  by  my  appearance  that  I  considered  myself  as  a 
stranger  and  foreigner,  none  can  know,  but  by  trying,  what 
an  influence  it  has  on  our  whole  conduct,  and  what  a  fence  it 
is  to  keep  us  from  sinking  into  the  spirit  of  the  world.  For 
there  is  no  medium :  they  who  are  conformed  to  the  fashions, 
customs  and  maxims  of  the  world,  must  embrace  the  spirit  alsc, 
and  they  shall  find  the  esteem  they  seek ;  for  the  world  will 
love  its  own.  But  let  them  also  remember  that  '  The  friend- 
ship of  the  world  is  enmity  with  God.' 

"  I  saw  myself  as  a  steward,  wTho  must  render  an  account 
for  every  talent.  I  saw  clearly  that  the  helping  of  my  fellow- 
creatures  in  their  need  was  both  more  rational  and  more 
pleasant  than  spending  my  substance  on  superfluities;  and,  as 
I  am  commanded  to.  lpve  my  neighbor  as  myself,  and  to- con- 


6 


GAY  AND  COSTLY  APPAREL. 


sider  all  done  to  the  household  of  faith  as  done  to  Christ, 
surely  I  ought  not  only  to  suffer  my  superfluity  to  give  way  to 
their  necessity,  but  also  (as  occasion  may  require)  my  necessi- 
ties to  their  extremities. 

"  The  end  usually  proposed  by  young  persons  in  their  dress 
is  such  as  a  devout  soul  would  abominate.  A  heathen  may  say, 
*  It  will  promote  my  being  comfortably  settled  in  life but  I 
believe  the  Lord  appoints  the  bounds  of  our  habitation,  and 
that  '  no  good  thing  will  He  withhold  from  those  who  walk 
uprightly.'  I  have  therefore  nothing  to  do  but  to  commend 
myself  to  God,  in  holy  obedience,  and  to  leave  every  step  of 
my  life  to  be  guided  by  his  will.  I  will  therefore  make  it  my 
rule  to  be  clean  and  neat,  but  in  the  plainnest  things,  accord- 
ing to  my  station  ;  and  whenever  I  think  on  the  subject,  these 
words  will  pass  through  my  mind  with  power :  '  For  so  the  holy 
women  of  old  adorned  themselves.'  " 

EOBEET  BAKOLAY,  (Early  Friend). 

"  Those  who  so  adorn  themselves  in  the  use  of  their  clothes 
as  to  beset  them  with  things  having  no  real  use  or  necessity, 
but  merely  for  ornament  sake,  openly  declare  that  the  end  of 
it  is  either  to  please  their  lust,  for  which  these  things  are  chiefly 
contrived,  or  to  gratify  a  vain,  proud,  and  ostentatious  mind ; 
and  it  is  obvious  these  are  their  general  designs  in  so  doing. 
We  see  how  easily  men  are  puffed  up  with  their  garments,  and 
how  proud  and  vain  they  are,  when  adorned  to  their  minds. 
How  far  these  things  are  below  a  true  Christian,  and  how 
unsuitable,  needs  very  little  proof.  Those  who  love  to  be 
gaudy  and  superfluous  in  their  clothes  showT  that  they  concern 
themselves  little  with  mortification  and  self-denial,  and  that 
they  study  to  beautify  their  bodies  more  than  their  souls; 
which  proves  they  think  little  upon  their  mortality,  and  so  are 
certainly  more  nominal  than  real  Christians. 


GAY  AND  COSTLY  APPAREL. 


7 


"  The  Scriptures  severely  reprove  such  practices,  both  com- 
mending and  commanding  the  contrary.  How  severely  doth 
the  prophet  Isaiah,  chap,  iii.,  reprove  the  daughters  of  Israel  for 
their  tinkling  ornaments,  their  cauls,  their  round  tires,  their 
chains  and  bracelets,  etc.  Yet,  is  it  not  strange  to  see  Chris- 
tians allow  themselves  in  these  things,  from  wThom  a  more  strict 
and  exemplary  conversation  is  required  ?  Christ  desires  us  not 
to  be  anxious  about  our  clothing ;  and  to  show  the  vanity  of 
such  as  glory  in  the  splendor  of  their  clothing,  tells  them, 
1  That  even  Solomon,  in  all  his  glory,  was  not  to  be  compared 
to  the  lily  of  the  field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast 
into  the  oven.'  But  surely  they  make  small  reckoning  of 
Christ's  words  and  doctrine  who  are  so  curious  in  their  cloth- 
ing, so  industrious  to  deck  themselves,  so  earnest  to  justify  it, 
and  so  displeased  when  they  are  reproved  for  it.  The  apostle 
Paul  is  very  positive  in  this  respect.  He  says, '  I  will  there- 
fore in  like  manner  also  that  women  adorn  themselves  in  modest 
apparel,  with  shame-facedness  and  sobriety,  and  not  with  broi- 
dered  hair,  or  gold,  or  pearls,  or  costly  array ;  but,  which  be- 
cometh  women  professing  godliness,  with  good  works.  To  the 
same  purpose  saith  Peter,  1  Whose  adorning  let  it  not  be  that 
outward  adorning  of  plaiting  the  hair,  and  wearing  of  gold, 
or  of  putting  on  of  apparel ;  but  let  it  be  the  hidden  man  of 
the  heart,  in  that  which  is  not  corruptible ;  even  the  ornament 
of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  is,  in  the  sight  of  God,  of 
great  price.' 

"  Here  both  the  apostles  do  very  positively  and  expressly 
assert  two  things.  First,  that  the  adorning  of  Christian  women 
— of  whom  it  is  particularly  spoken,  I  judge,  because  this  sex 
is  most  naturally  inclined  to  that  vanity — ought  not  to  be  out- 
ward, nor  to  consist  in  the  apparel. 

"  Secondly,  that  they  ought  not  to  use  the  plaiting  of  the 
hair  or  ornaments,  etc.,  which  was  at  that  time  the  custom  of 
the  nations.  But  is  it  not  strange  that  such  as  make  the  Scrip- 


8 


GAY  AND  COSTLY  APPAREL. 


ture  their  rule,  and  pretend  they  are  guided  by  it,  should  not 
only  be  so  generally  in  the  use  of  these  things  which  the  Scrip- 
ture so  plainly  condemns,  but  also  should  attempt  to  justify 
themselves  in  so  doing  ?  For  the  apostles  not  only  commend  the 
forbearance  of  these  things  as  an  attainment  commendable  in 
Christians,  but  condemn  the  use  of  them  as  unlawful.  Yet  does 
it  not  seem  more  strange  that,  in  contradiction  to  the  apostles' 
doctrine,  as  if  they  had  resolved  to  slight  their  testimony,  they 
should  condemn  those  who  out  of  conscience  apply  themselves 
seriously  to  follow  it,  as  if  in  so  doing  they  were  singular, 
proud  or  superstitious  ?" — Apology. 

ANTHONY  BENEZET  (Philadelphia  Friend). 

"I  have  remembered  the  apostle's  injunction,  'that  Chris- 
tian women  ought  to  be  arrayed  in  modest  apparel,  not  costly, 
but  with  sobriety  and  shame-facedness.'  I  have  also  had  to 
think  of  the  nature  of  the  gospel — the  conduct,  dress,  food,  etc. 
— of  him  who  was  greater  than  any  of  the  prophets,  even  John, 
the  forerunner  of  Christ.  I  have  remembered  the  birth  and 
situation  of  our  blessed  Saviour  himself ;  his  submitting  to  the 
most  humbling  appearance — even  to  be  laid  in  a  manger ;  and 
when  grown  up,  declared  his  coming  was  in  the  form  of  a  ser- 
vant— not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister.  '  Behold,' 
says  He,  '  I  am  amongst  you  as  one  that  serveth.'  '  Leaving 
us  an  example,'  saith  the  apostle,  1  that  we  should  follow  his 
footsteps.'  But  how  different  from  the  example  of  the  Lord  are 
the  conduct  and  views  of  the  greatest  part  of  our  young  people, 
notwithstanding  it  is  indispensably  necessary  that  such  as 
are  desirous  to  follow  Christ  in  the  regeneration  should  behave 
in  their  clothing,  etc.,  in  such  a  manner  as  will  best  enable 
them  to  answer  the  sober  ends  of  an  industrious,  frugal  life: — 
a  life  of  affection  and  care,  not  only  in  their  own  families,  but 
as  sisters  and  friends ;  as  nurses,  spiritually  and  temporally, 


GAY  AND  OOSTLY  APPAREL. 


9 


to  many  who  may  suffer  for  want  of  their  assistance.  Doctor 
Cave,  in  his  account  of  the  first  Christians,  tells  us,  '  They  were 
exceeding  careful  to  avoid  all  such  things  as  savored  of  cost- 
liness and  finery ;  choosing  such  as  expressed  the  greatest  low- 
liness and  innocency.'  William  Penn  says  in  his  Reflections  and 
Maxims,  '  If  thou  art  clean  and  warm,  it  is  sufficient ;  for  more 
does  but  rob  the  poor,  and  please  the  wanton.'  If  every  ex- 
pense which  might  be  spared  is  vainly  wasting  that  which  prop- 
erly belongs  to  the  poor,  and  every  conformity  to  vain  and 
foolish  fashions  is  to  please,  and,  indeed,  often  meant  to  allure 
the  wanton,  what  can  be  said  in  defence  of  the  appearance  of 
so  many  of  our  young  women  ? — so  contrary  to  that  humble, 
self-denying  state  of  service,  which,  as  followers  of  Christ,  is 
required  of  them ;  choosing  to  appear  as  mistresses,  as  ladies, 
delighting  themselves,  like  the  false  Church,  in  sitting  as 
queens,  to  be  looked  at  and  admired,  rathe*  than  capacitated 
to  fulfil  the  sober  ends  of  life  in  the  service  we  owe  one  to 
another.  From  a  sense  of  the  prevalency  of  these  evils,  how 
can  the  sincere  lover  of  truth  but  mourn — deeply  mourn — 
even  over  many  of  those  who  esteem  themselves,  and  are 
esteemed,  as  moderate,  comparatively  with  others — the  softness 
and  delicacy  of  their  clothing  more  adapted  to  Pagan  king's 
palaces  than  Christian  pilgrim's  cottages,  the  putting  on  of 
their  apparel  too  manifestly  calculated  to  allure  the  wanton. 
To  these  things  may  be  added  that  most  abhorrent  practice, 
formerly  used,  and  now  come  again  in  fashion,  of  causing  their 
clothes,  even  their  rich  silks,  etc.,  to  trail  on  the  ground.  I 
have  been  sorrowful  to  observe  so  many  manifest  such  ingrati- 
tude as  to  throw  off  all  considerations  of  delicacy  and  neatness ; 
and  only  because  it  is  the  fashion — because  the  god  of  this 
world  (the  devil),  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  who  rules 
in  the  children  of  disobedience,  calls  to  follow  his  fashions, 
they  should  conform  to  that  which  is  in  itself  so  odious,  so 
destructive,  so  contrary  to  every  sense  of  reason  and  neatness. 


10 


GAY  AND  COSTLY  APPAREL. 


What  shall  I  call  it?  Indeed,  it  is  in  itself  more  expressive 
of  that  folly  and  corruption  in  which  the  human  heart  is 
capable  of  running  than  words  can  set  forth." 

JOSEPH  PIKE,  (Irish  Friend).' 

"  Though  there  is  a  form  of  godliness  without  the  power,  yet 
the  power  of  truth  leads  into  a  godly  form  and  order  in  out- 
ward things.  This  is  abundantly  proved  from  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures ;  and  amongst  the  rest  even  in  outward  clothing.  Thus 
did  true  religion  in  the  heart  lead  our  first  elders  and  fathers 
in  the  Church  out  of  the  fashions,  customs,  finery,  and  super- 
fluity of  apparel  and  furniture,  and  to  testify  against  it,  as  not 
proceeding  from  the  spirit  of  truth,  but  from  the  vain,  unsettled 
spirit  of  this  world,  as  it  most  certainly  does." 

SOPHIA  HUME,  (Friend.) 

"  When  I  was  conducted  by  my  great  Leader  into  the  nar- 
row path  of  self-denial,  I  was  sensible  that  I  must  part  with 
many  hurtful  and  superfluous  things  I  had  been  accustomed 
to — the  way  was  too  narrow  to  admit  of  pride  in  any  shape 
or  form ;  and  superfluity  in  apparel,  as  well  as  many  other 
instances  of  luxury,  appeared  to  me  inconsistent  with  the  doc- 
trines of  Christianity,  and  the  particular  instructions  and  ad- 
monitions of  several  of  the  Apostles.  I  found  pride  in  apparel 
absolutely  necessary  to  be  avoided  ;  and  though  pride,  in  every 
species  and  appearance,  is  abominable  and  odious  in  the  sight 
of  the  Almighty,  yet  it  seems  particularly  against  this  branch 
of  it  that  the  prophet  Isaiah  exclaims. — See  chap.  iii. 

"  One  argument  some  have  made  use  of  to  support  the  vanity 
of  gay  and  costly  clothing  was  this :  that  pride  was  not  in  the 
clothes,  but  in  the  heart — an  assertion  I  have  greatly  proved 
true  by  my  own  experience  ;  for  I  know  full  well  that  pride  pro- 


GAY  AND  COSTLY  APPAREL. 


11 


ceeds  from  a  vain  and  ambitious  heart;  and  that  if  it  had  not 
its  residence  and  seat  there,  it  would  not  appear  in  the  habit 
or  garb. 

"  I  have  considered  man'«  inordinate  desire  for  wealth,  as 
well  as  the  sinful  lusting  after  many  things  which  are  destruct- 
ive to  the  light  of  Christianity,  and  which  the  laws  and  doc- 
trines thereof  require  every  professor  of  the  same  to  bury.  And 
for  my  own  part,  I  can  say  by  experience  that  an  affection  for 
these  things  chokes  the  seed  of  the  kingdom,  and  separates 
from  the  presence  and  approbation  of  God,  whom  thou,  O 
man  and  woman !  art  required  to  love  with  every  faculty  of 
thy  soul.  But  if  people  love  not  the  world,  nor  the  things  that 
are  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and 
the  pride  of  life,  if  they  prefer  them  not  to  spiritual  things, 
why  is  most  of  their  attention  laid  out  on  temporal  objects  ? 
Though  religion  stands  not  simply  in  clothes,  yet  true  religion 
stands  in  that  which  bounds  and  sets  limits  to  clothes  as  well 
as  to  other  things." 

ADONIRAM  JUDSOff.  (Baptist.) 

While  engaged  as  a  missionary  at  Maulmien,  in  India,  A. 
Judson  thus  addressed  "the  female  members  of  Christian 
churches  in  the  United  States  of  America:" 

"  In  raising  up  a  church  of  Christ  in  this  heathen  land,  and 
in  laboring  to  elevate  the  minds  of  the  female  converts  to  the 
standard  of  the  gospel,  we  have  always  found  one  chief  obstacle 
in  that  principle  of  vauity,  that  love  of  dress  and  display  (I  beg 
you  will  bear  with  me),  which  has  in  every  age  and  in  all 
countries  been  a  ruling  passion  of  the  fair  sex,  as  the  love  of 
riches,  power  and  fame,  has  characterized  the  other. 

"  Let  me  appeal  to  conscience,  and  inquire  what  is  the  real 
motive  for  wearing  ornamental  and  costly  apparel  ?  Is  it  not 
the  desire  of  setting  off  one's  person  to  the  best  advantage,  and 


12 


GAY  AND  COSTLY  APPAREL. 


of  exciting  the  love  and  admiration  of  others  ?  Is  not  such 
dress  calculated  to  gratify  self-love,  to  cherish  sentiments  of 
vanity  and  pride  ?  And  is  not  the  nature  of  those  sentiments 
to  acquire  strength  from  indulgence  ?  Do  such  motives  and 
sentiments  comport  with  the  meek,  humble,  self-denying  relig- 
ion of  Jesus  Christ?  I  would  here  respectfully  suggest  that 
these  questions  will  not  be  answered  so  faithfully  in  the  midst 
of  company,  as  when  quite  alone,  kneeling  before  God." 

CHABLES  6.  FINIfEY,  (Congregationalism) 

"  To  maintain  that  we  are  not  to  be  singular,  is  the  same  as 
to  maintain  that  we  are  to  be  conformed  to  the  world.  '  Be 
not  singular  f  that  is,  '  be  like  the  world.'  In  other  words,  be 
ye  conformed  to  the  world.  This  is  the  direct  opposite  to  the 
command  in  the  text.  It  is  your  duty  to  dress  so  plain  as  to 
show  to  the  world  that  you  place  no  sort  of  reliance  in  the 
things  of  fashion,  and  set  no  value  at  all  on  them,  but  despise 
and  neglect  them  altogether.  But  unless  you  are  singular, 
unless  you  separate  yourselves  from  the  fashions  of  the  world, 
you  show  that  you  do  value  them.  There  is  no  way  in 
which  you  can  bear  a  proper  testimony,  by  your  lives,  against 
the  fashions  of  the  world,  but  by  dressing  plain.  I  do  not  mean 
that  you  should  sfo«efy  singularity ;  but  that  you  should  consult 
convenience  and  economy,  although  it  may  be  singular.  '  No 
matter  how  we  dress,  if  our  hearts  are  right/  Our  hearts 
right !  Then  our  hearts  may  be  right  when  our  conduct  is  all 
wrong  f  Just  as  well  might  the  profane  swearer  say,  '  No  mat- 
ter what  words  I  speak,  if  my  heart  is  right/  No ;  our  heart 
is  not  right  unless  our  conduct  is  right.  What  is  outward  con- 
duct but  the  acting  out  of  the  heart  ?  If  our  heart  was  right, 
we  would  not  wish  to  follow  the  fashions  of  the  world." 


No.  105. 


AN  ACCOUNT 

OF 

THE  LIVES  AND  HAPPY  DEATHS 

OF 

TWO  LITTLE  CHILDREN. 


"  Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of 
such  is  the  kingdom  of  Heaven." — Luke  xviii.  16. 


BENNY  WHITE. 


Many  persons  living  near  Chester,  can  remember  Benny 
White,  a  little  colored  boy  who  lived  in  the  town ;  and  all 
who  knew  him,  parents  and  teachers  and  friends,  can  remem- 
ber how  pleasant  and  truthful,  and  affectionate  he  was.  He 
was  but  a  little  boy,  but  he  knew  the  right,  and  young  as  he 
was,  he  was  generally  found  doing  right,  and  was  never  known 
to  tell  a  falsehood.  Think  of  this,  children.  That  this  little 
boy,  poor  as  he  was,  and  no  doubt  tempted  to  do  wrong  by  the 
evil  example  around  him — always  spoke  the  truth,  so  that 
his  schoolmaster  said  of  him,  "If  Benny  said  anything,  I 
knew  it  was  so."  And  the  teacher  whose  school  he  attended 
on  First  days  for  six  years,  said  she  never  had  occasion  to 
speak  to  him  for  bad  conduct ;  and  that  though  he  was  very 


2 


BENNY  WHITE. 


young,  she  gave  him  charge  of  a  little  class,  and  that  it  was 
very  interesting  to  see  his  love  for  them. 

And  so  little  Benny  was  beginning  to  be  useful  in  the  world  ; 
kind  and  affectionate  to  all  around  him,  particularly  his  young 
associates,  and  obedient  and  dutiful  to  his  parents  and  teachers. 

But  his  Heavenly  Father,  who  watched  over  him,  and  by 
His  good  Spirit  taught  him  to  walk  in  His  fear,  and  in  His 
paths  of  truth  and  righteousness,  saw  meet  to  take  him  from 
the  world. 

About  the  last  of  the  year  1857,  when  he  was  between  nine 
and  ten  years  old,  little  Benny  took  a  heavy  cold,  which 
settled  on  his  lungs,  and  as  he  grew  rapidly  worse,  he  was 
confined  to  the  house  all  winter.  One  day  when  the  ground 
was  covered  with  snow,  he  looked  a  long  time  out  of  the 
window,  and  said,  "  I  have  promised  myself  if  I  live  until  the 
snow  is  gone,  I  will  go  down  yonder  to  the  hill  by  the  river, 
and  how  I  will  pray." 

Often  during  the  long  winter  evenings,  while  his  mother 
was  busy  with  her  sewing,  this  dear  little  boy  would  get  his 
Bible  and  read  to  her,  and  if  he  saw  her  getting  drowsy, 
would  say,  "  Rouse  up,  mother,  listen  to  this  passage,"  and  in 
his  simple,  child-like  way,  try  to  explain  its  meaning.  And 
when  he  read  about  persons  remarkable  for  their  piety,  he 
would  ask  his  mother,  "If  we  do  wTell  will  it  be  so  with  us?" 

He  seemed  to  feel  a  great  interest  in  his  former  playmates, 
and  at  one  time  a  little  boy  being  called  in  to  read  to  him,  he 
selected  a  chapter  in  Job,  and  several  times  during  the  read- 
ing, he  looked  around  the  room  to  those  present,  saying, 
"  There  is  room  for  all,  there  is  room  for  all."  At  another 
time,  he  had  some  of  his  little  companions  called  in  out  of  the 
street,  and  asked  them  separately  if  they  "  would  try  to  bo 
good,"  and  obey  their  parents  and  meet  him  in  Heaven,  where 
he  would  soon  be?  and  on  their  replying,  he  added,  "Now  I 
am  done  with  you."  After  this  he  looked  towards  his  parents, 
and  said  very  impressively,  "  I  want  you  to  be  better  than  you 
have  ever  been ; "  and  to  the  rest  in  the  room,  "  I  want  you  all 
to  do  better ; "  adding,  "  I  love  everybody,  even  those  who 


BENNY  WHITE. 


8 


have  spitefully  used  me."  He  was  particularly  interested  in 
his  little  sister,  often  telling  her  to  be  a  good  girl,  and  always 
mind  her  mother. 

His  mother  sometimes  asked  him  if  he  wished  to  get  well, 
he  always  answered,  "No,  for  I  feel  I  will  go  to  Heaven." 
She  once  said,  "Benny,  would  you  like  me  to  go  with  you?" 
he  replied,  "  No,  but  I  wish  you  so  to  live  that  you  may  follow 
me." 

Many  times  during  his  sickness  he  would  ask  to  be  taken 
to  the  window,  that  he  might  look  toward  the  hill  where  he 
had  promised  himself  he  would  go  to. pray ;  and  a  short  time 
before  his  death  he  told  his  mother,  "  I  had  hoped  to  get  there, 
but  I  am  too  weak  now,  neither  can  I  kneel,  but  I  can  sit 
here  and  pray  in  my  heart."  One  day,  seeing  him  looking 
upward  with  a  bright  smile  on  his  countenance,  his  mother 
asked  him  what  made  him  look  so  pleasant ;  he  made  no  reply, 
but  continued  looking  up,  still  smiling ; — after  she  had  waited 
some  time,  he  asked  her  if  "  she  saw  that  beautiful  angel  ? " 
and  on  her  saying  no,  he  looked  much  disappointed. 

The  morning  of  his  death,  he  called  his  father  to  go  to  work, 
telling  him  "  always  to  pray  every  morning."  He  then  wished 
to  be  carried  down  stairs,  gave  one  longing  look  to  the  hill  he 
had  so  much  wished  to  visit,  and  remarked,  "  What  beautiful 
flowers  you  have,  mother,"  though  there  were  none  visible  to 
any  eyes  save  his ;  then  his  head  fell  backward,  and  his 
mother  caught  him  just  as  his  happy  spirit  fled.  He  who  said, 
"Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me,"  had  doubtless 
gathered  him  with  the  lambs  in  his  heavenly  fold,  "  to  go  no 
more  out." 

He  died  the  19th  of  Seventh  month,  1858,  aged  10  years 
and  3  months. 


4 


HANNAH  DINGLE. 


HANNAH  DINGLE. 

Hannah  Dingle  was  the  daughter  of  Johnson  and  Harriet 
Dingle,  of  Philadelphia.  Before  she  was  one  year  old,  her 
mother  died,  and  (the  following  year)  she  was  admitted  into 
the  "  Shelter  for  Colored  Orphans ;"  there  she  soon  became  an 
example  to  all,  of  cheerfulness,  gentleness,  and  obedience ; 
while  at  times  the  gravity  and  sweetness  of  her  countenance 
and  behavior  seemed  almost  to  foreshadow  that  her  tarriance 
in  this  world  would  be  brief.  In  1851  she  was  apprenticed  to 
a  Friend  in  Delaware  county,  Pennsylvania,  under  whose 
tender  care  she  remained  until  her  death.  Here  the  genuine 
kindness  and  integrity  of  her  character  were  more  and  more 
developed,  her  word  was  never  doubted,  and  throughout  the 
day,  her  love  to  all  was  manifested  by  a  steady  attention  to 
their  interest  and  comfort,  while  her  evenings  were  generally 
occupied  in  reading  to  her  fellow-servants. 

During  the  last  year  of  her  life,  her  health  rapidly  declined, 
and  for  more  than  a  month  previous  to  her  decease,  she  was 
unable  to  walk  without  assistance.  A  week  or  two  before  her 
death,  her  mistress  asked  her  if  she  knew  that  she  was  very 
sick.  She  replied,  "  I  do,  and  I  do  not  expect  to  get  well,  but 
I  have  been  trying  to  be  patient  and  to  be  ready  to  die."  On 
the  morning  of  her  death,  she  suffered  much  from  difficulty  of 
breathing,  and  several  times  expressed  her  desire  "to  go  home." 
In  the  afternoon,  as  if  aware  that  the  time  of  her  departure 
had  nearly  come,  she  requested  that  the  family  might  be  called 
into  her  room  ;  after  addessing  each  of  them  by  name,  she  said 
with  earnestness,  "  I  want  all  my  friends  to  hear  what  I  have 
to  say — I  have  nothing  against  any  one — I  love  everybody — 
I  am  going  to  die — I  am  going  to  rest — I  am  going  to  Heaven  " 
— and  in  a  few  minutes  gently  ceased  to  breathe,  and  we 
doubt  not,  has  joined  the  company  of  those  who  are  unceasingly 
singing  the  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb. 

She  died  Second  month,  11th,  1854,  aged  11  years. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia. 


No.  10G 


THE 


TRUE  CHRISTIAN'S 


KTJLE  OF  LIFE 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1890. 


THE 

True  Christian's  Rule  of  Life. 


Paul,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,  writing  to  Titus, 
has  this  saying,  "The  grace  of  God,  that  bringeth  sal- 
vation, hath  appeared  to  all  men  ;  teaching  us,  that 
denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  we  should  live 
soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in  this  present  world." 

What  is  the  grace  of  God  ? 

The  grace  of  God,  that  bringeth  salvation,  is  no  less 
than  a  Divine  inspiration,  the  gift  of  God  to  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  men.  It  is,  under  the  gospel  admin- 
istration, the  fulfilling  of  that  covenant  which  God,  by 
the  mouth  of  his  prophet  Jeremiah,  promised  to  make 
with  the  house  of  Jacob ;  which  was,  that  he  would 
write  his  law  in  their  hearts,  and  put  it  in  their  inward 
parts. 

For  as  God  made  man  in  the  beginning,  humble, 
lowly,  meek,  merciful,  pure,  peaceable,  just;  so  He  would 
have  all  men  to  be.  But  forasmuch  as  nothing  less 
than  the  good  Spirit  of  God,  in  the  inward  parts  of 
man,  can  reduce  any  of  us  to  such  a  qualification  or 
state,  God  hath  given  to  every  man  a  measure  thereof, 
to  enlighten  his  understanding,  and  to  guide  him  in  the 
path  of  life  and  salvation  ;  and  this  measure,  being  the 
free  gift  of  God,  is  called  Grace. 

In  our  present  age,  light  within,  a  law  within,  Spirit 
within,  Christ  within,  is  the  scoffing  of  some,  and  little 
regarded  by  many :  they  scoff  and  slight  the  chiefest 
treasure  that  ever  the  soul  of  man  was  possessed  of; 
they  slight  the  talent  that  God  hath  given  to  every  man 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN'S  RULE  OF  LIFE. 


3 


to  improve,  in  order  to  our  rising  from  our  fall,  and 
corning  to  live  under  the  government  of  the  eternal 
Spirit. 

The  great  God,  in  his  infinite  wisdom  and  everlast- 
ing love,  hath  placed  his  royal  seed  and  plant  of  re- 
nown in  the  hearts  of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  men: 
there  the  grace  of  God,  that  bringeth  salvation,  may 
be  found  :  there,  until  it  comes  to  be  veiled  by  clouds 
of  iniquity,  it  shows  itself  a  witness  against  all  un- 
righteousness and  ungodliness. 

As  every  evil  motion  and  temptation  that  leads  to 
sin,  appears  within;  so  the  grace  of  God,  that  is  given 
to  men,  to  save  from  sin,  appears  also  within. 

There  is  not  a  man  born  into  the  world,  if  he  has 
lived  to  commit  sin,  but  hath  felt  and  known  in  himself 
rebukes  for  sin  :  and  these  rebukes  are  the  appearances 
of  grace,  and  called  in  Scripture  "  light,"  and  "  true 
light;"  for  it  manifests  every  work  of  darkness:  it 
shows  us  both  when  and  wherein  we  have  done  amiss ; 
and  this  it  hath  done  in  all  ages. 

God  hath  not  in  any  age  left  himself  without  a  wit- 
ness in  the  hearts  of  men,  to  declare  his  righteousness, 
truth,  and  faithfulness.  But  there  is  as  much  differ- 
ence between  the  appearance  of  grace,  and  the  power 
of  grace  to  salvation  ;  the  light  of  righteousness,  and 
that  fulness  which  enables  us  to  lead  a  life  of  right- 
eousness; as  between  a  seed  that  is  sown,  and  the  herb 
when  it  is  come  to  full  growth  :  but  the  one  leads  to  the 
other;  and  it  is  he  that  attains  to  the  fulness  of  grace, 
that  comes  to  lead  a  sober,  righteous,  godly  life  in  this 
present  world. 

Every  man  hath  life  and  salvation  before  him,  death 
and  destruction  behind  him ;  he  hath  also  a  good  Spirit 
to  conduct  him  in  the  way  of  life  and  salvation,  and 
an  evil  spirit  waits  to  lead  him  in  paths  of  death  and 
destruction. 

Many  may  be  found  that  would  confess,  they  have 
some  sight,  some  sense,  and  some  feeling  of  the  eternal 


4 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN'S  RULE  OF  LIFE. 


Spirit  of  Jesus  :  that  they  have  the  knowledge  of  some- 
thing in  themselves  that  calls  for  just  weights  and  an  ♦ 
equal  balance,  for  doing  unto  all  men  as  they  would  be 
done  by,  for  truth  in  their  words,  and  faithfulness  in 
their  promises.  Did  they  keep  to  this,  they  would  fol- 
low a  right  guide,  and  the  seed  of  grace  would  grow ; 
truth  and  faithfulness  would  grow ;  knowledge,  tem- 
perance, patience,  brotherly  kindness,  and  charity, 
would  grow;  and  we  should  find  in  ourselves,  that  an 
entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ  would  be  abun- 
dantly ministered. 

The  proud,  the  covetous,  the  envious,  and  other  un- 
godly persons  may  for  a  time,  and  a  long  time,  have 
the  appearances  or  visitations  of  grace ;  they  may  have 
rebukes  for  sin ;  but  if  by  such  rebukes  they  do  not 
learn  righteousness,  they  grow  not  in  grace,  neither 
doth  grace  grow  in  them.  All  such  hide  their  talent, 
and,  in  time,  for  want  of  improvement,  may  come  to 
have  it  quite  taken  from  them. 

As  the  grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation,  appears 
unto  all  men,  so  motions  of  sin,  that  lead  to  destruc- 
tion, appear  unto  all  men ;  and  the  work  of  the  devil 
is  to  make  forbidden  things  appear  desirable ;  the  world 
and  the  vanities  thereof  to  be  full  of  pleasantness  :  and 
as  our  affections  come  to  be  taken  therewith,  as  we 
make  the  world  our  delight,  and  pursue  after  it,  we 
depart  from  God ;  and  though  grace  may  make  many 
appearances,  though  the  good  Spirit  of  God  may  long 
strive  with  us,  though  we  have  in  ourselves  many  checks 
and  rebukes,  and  are  thereby  made  sensible  that  our 
ways  and  our  doings  displease  God,  yet  are  we  prone 
to  persevere  therein ;  and  through  a  continual  per- 
severance, sin  grows  and  comes  to  have  dominion 
over  us. 

What  manner  of  salvation  doth  the  grace  of  God 
bring  ? 

As  the  appearances  of  grace  are  rebukes  for  sin,  so 
the  salvation  that  grace  brings,  is  a  saving  from  sin. 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN'S  RULE  OF  LIFE. 


5 


If  grace  teacheth  men  to  live  soberly,  righteously, 
and  godly  in  this  present  world,  grace  saves  good  men 
from  sin  in  this  present  world. 

Saving  from  sin,  on  this  side  the  grave,  may,  to  such 
as  are  strangers  to  God's  salvation,  seem  an  incredible 
thing ;  but  were  they  so  well  acquainted  with  the  power 
of  grace,  as  too  many  are  with  the  strength  of  sin,  they 
would  say,  "  Christ's  yoke  is  easy." 

The  shining  of  an  inward  light,  which  is  the  first 
manifestation  of  Christ  to  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
men,  seems  at  first  small  and  powerless ;  and  so  do  our 
first  motions  to  sin  ;  but  follow  such  sinful  motions  as 
far  as  they  will  lead,  and  we  shall  find  them  powerful 
enough.  And  if  the  seed  of  sin  comes,  by  our  follow- 
ing the  motions  thereof,  to  have  such  power  over  us, 
why  may  not  the  seed  of  grace,  if  we  return  thereunto, 
and  become  followers  thereof,  have  as  much  power 
over  us  ? 

Undoubtedly,  John,  who  had  travelled  "  from  death 
unto  life,"  and  was  an  eye-witness  of  things  as  they 
were  in  the  beginning,  felt  in  himself  such  a  power 
when  he  said,  "  Whosoever  is  born  of  God  doth  not 
commit  sin  ;  for  his  seed  remaineth  in  him,  and  he  can- 
not sin."  And  many  living  witnesses  may  be  found  at 
this  day,  who  can  say,  from  a  sensible  experience,  that 
where  this  righteous  seed  is  risen  and  comes  to  have 
dominion,  it  is  so  powerful  and  restraining  that  they 
cannot  be  unjust  in  their  dealings,  nor  unfaithful  in  their 
promises;  they  cannot  tell  an  untruth,  though  ever  so 
much  to  their  outward  advantage ;  they  cannot  be  in- 
temperate, wasting  the  good  creatures  that  God  hath 
given  for  their  nourishment,  by  excessive  eating  and 
drinking;  they  cannot  oppress  the  poor,  the  widow, 
and  fatherless,  nor  take  by  violence  that  which  they 
have  no  right  unto.  The  small  seed  in  them  is  become 
the  tallest  of  herbs,  and  hath  as  much  power  over  them 
as  sin  hath  over  those  who  dwell  therein. 

By  grace  the  ear  of  a  man  is  shut  from  hearkening 


6 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  S  RULE  OF  LIFE. 


to  fables  and  evil  reports ;  his  eye  is  turned  aside  from 
gazing  upon  vanity  ;  his  tongue  is  not  suffered  to  curse, 
swear,  lie,  or  to  be  employed  in  any  idle  communica- 
tion ;  his  hand  is  limited  from  taking  bribes  to  pervert 
justice,  and  from  taking  by  violence,  or  otherwise,  any- 
thing that  is  not  his  own.  By  this  dominion,  that  grace 
comes  to  have  over  us,  the  Lord  saves  his  people  from 
their  sins.  As  we  live  in  subjection  to  this  power,  we 
are  servants  to  another  prince ;  sin  and  Satan  have  lost 
their  dominion  over  us.  This  is  God's  salvation ;  by 
this  we  come  to  "  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly 
in  this  present  world." 

Inward  rebukes,  if  we  have  regard  thereunto,  beget 
a  fear;  and  as  "the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning 
of  wisdom,"  so  it  is  the  beginning  of  a  reformation  of 
our  lives. 

If  I  am  checked  in  myself  for  making  a  lie,  and 
have  regard  to  that  which  checked  me,  I  shall  be  afraid 
of  making  another;  or  if  I  find  in  myself  rebukes  for 
not  keeping  my  promise,  or  for  doing  anything  amiss, 
and  have  regard  to  such  rebukes,  I  shall  be  afraid  to  do 
the  like,  lest  the  next  rebukes  be  sharper ;  and,  as  this 
holy  fear  abides  in  us,  we  come  to  deny  ungodliness, 
and  in  denying  ungodliness  we  learn  righteousness : 
but  such  as  find  in  themselves  rebukes  for  sin,  and  have 
no  regard  thereunto,  are  no  scholars  in  the  school  of 
grace. 

Paul  knew  terror  before  he  came  to  find  peace  with 
God,  and  peace  in  his  own  conscience :  he  was  ac- 
quainted with  judgment,  before  he  came  to  obtain  vic- 
tory. Nothing  hath  power  to  break  the  bonds  of  cap- 
tivity, and  set  us  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death, 
but  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  our  own  hearts. 

When  violent  motions  to  sin  arise,  stand  still,  and 
the  Lord  will  fight  for  us  ;  for  as  our  hearts  come  to 
be  possessed  with  grace,  if  the  enemy  should  come  in 
as  a  flood,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  being  in  our  inward 
parts,  will  lift  up  a  standard  against  him. 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN  S  RULE  OF  LIFE.  i 

What  may  truly  and  properly  be  called,  a  "sober, 
righteous,  godly  life  V 

A  sober  life,  many  may,  in  some  measure,  be  ac- 
quainted with,  but  a  righteous,  godly  life,  is  too  rarely 
considered. 

"Whosoever  thinks  to  attain  to  a  righteous,  godly  life, 
but  by  the  teachings  of  grace  in  his  own  heart,  deceiv- 
eth  his  own  soul. 

Men  may  lop  or  hinder  the  growth  of  many  branches 
of  iniquity  that  appear  outwardly,  but  cannot  take  away 
the  cause  which  is  within  ;  and  until  the  cause  is  re- 
moved, there  can  be  no  thorough  cure. 

"Walk  in  the  Spirt,"  said  Paul,  "and  ye  shall  not 
fulfil  the  lust  of  the  flesh."  That  is  the  only  remedy, 
that  is  the  soul-healing  salve :  and  what  is  the  walk- 
ing in  the  Spirit,  but  following  the  leading  of  grace 
in  our  hearts?  Grace,  as  it  comes  to  have  the  rule 
over  us,  brings  down  all  exalted  thoughts,  abaseth 
pride,  shuts  out  covetousness,  gives  no  place  unto 
wrath,  reduceth  us  to  a  cool,  quiet  frame  of  spirit, 
in  which  frame  we  can  bear  and  suffer.  Grace  will 
not  suffer  us  to  do  any  unjust  thing,  nor  allow  us 
to  speak  an  ill  word,  much  less  to  be  drunk,  steal, 
or  commit  any  other  vices:  for  it  is  the  promised  Spirit 
of  truth  that  leads  into  all  truth,  leads  out  of  all  error, 
and  so  brings  salvation  indeed. 

JSo  man  can  lead  a  righteous  life,  till  a  right  spirit 
comes  to  have  the  whole  possession  of  his  heart ;  for 
from  the  good  treasures  of  the  heart  proceed  all  good 
living ;  for  that  is  the  guide,  and  this  guide  being  of  a 
Divine  nature,  makes  us  to  be  heavenly-minded. 

As  God,  in  his  unlimited  love  to  mankind,  "  mak- 
eth  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good, 
and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust,"  so  he 
that  hath  good  will  to  all,  which  proceeds  out  of  the 
heart,  when  the  good  Spirit  of  God  comes  to  make  its 
abode  there,  will  not  wrong  any,  oppress  any,  show 


8 


THE  TRUE  CHRISTIAN'S  RULE  OF  LIFE. 


violence  to  any,  or  speak  evil  of  any,  but  be  ready  to 
serve  all  men  in  love  and  faithfulness. 

This  reformation  is  only  and  alone  by  the  grace  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  as  saith  the  prophet,  "  Ho,  every 
one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters,"  and  drink; 
every  one  that  hath  a  desire  in  his  soul  after  righteous- 
ness, turn  in  to  the  grace  of  God  in  his  own  heart. 
The  water  that  the  prophet  invited  all  thirsty  souls  unto, 
is  no  other  than  that  which  Christ  giveth ;  and  whoso- 
ever drinketh  thereof  thirsteth  no  more,  but  hath,  as 
many  at  this  day  can  witness,  a  well  in  himself,  not 
only  issuing,  but  flowing  up  to  eternal  life. 

But  some  may  say,  Our  dependence  for  life  and  sal- 
vation is  not  on  works  of  righteousness,  but  on  faith : 
We  believe,  and  thereof  hope  to  be  saved. 

Faith  we  all  think  we  have ;  but  is  it  a  faith  that 
purifies  the  heart,  and  makes  our  bodies  fit  temples  for 
the  Holy  Spirit  ? 

Paul  put  the  Corinthians  on  an  examination  of 
themselves,  on  a  trial  and  proof  of  their  faith,  and  it 
would  not  be  amiss,  if  all  that  account  themselves  be- 
lievers, did  prove  their  faith  by  the  same  touchstone: 
"  Know  ye  not,"  said  Paul,  "  your  own  selves,  how  that 
Jesus  Christ  is  in  you,  except  ye  be  reprobates?"  This 
is  life  eternal,  not  only  to  hear  of  a  God  and  a  Saviour, 
but  to  know  Him  ;  to  feel  the  power  of  God,  and  to  be 
witnesses  of  Christ's  salvation. 

Faith  and  works  of  righteousness  go  together  :  he 
that  hath  the  one  hath  both,  and  grace  is  the  spring 
from  whence  both  proceed. 


No.  107. 


THE 

•TEST  OF  OUR  CHRISTIANITY. 


l¥  the  Spirit  of  Christ  hath  the  rule  in  us,  these  fol- 
lowing fruits  will  be  brought  forth  by  us  : 

In  all  our  communications,  our  yea  will  be  yea,  and 
our  na\\  nay  :  the  word  that  goeth  out  of  our  lips  will 
be  sure. 

He  thai  is  a  Christian  indeed  hath  no  necessity  in 
himself,  nor  need  to  be  urged  by  others,  to  bind  his 
soul  with  an  rath  to  perform  his  word  ;  for  the  law  of  the 
Spirit  of  life  in  his  own  heart  constrains  him  so  to  do. 

Christians  in  their  communications  weigh  their  words, 
before  they  utter  them,  with  their  capacities  to  perform 
them ;  knowing  that  a  promise  cannot  be  broken  with- 
out violating  the  righteous  law  of  God  in  their  own 
hearts.  Whenever  such  violence  is  done,  terror  en- 
sues; and  this  makes  good  men,  who  live  under  the 
government  of  Christ,  dread  much  more  to  break 
their  words,  than  others  do  to  forfeit  their  bonds. 
This  holy  dread  makes  our  yea  to  be  yea,  and  our  nay 
to  be  nay;  this  makes  us  cautious  in  our  promises,  and 
careful  in  our  performances.  The  exhortation  may  be 
read  in  Scripture,  but  the  binding  tie  must  be  known 
in  our  own  hearts.  All  that  have  the  Scripture  have 
this  rule ;  but  unless  we  have  a  principle  of  life  in  our- 


2 


THE  TEST  OF  OUR  CHRISTIANITY. 


selves,  we  cannot  walk  by  this  rule  ;  and  we  must  not 
only  have  such  a  principle,  but  we  must  also  improve 
it  by  a  continued  practice,  before  it  comes  to  be  our 
life,  our  centre,  and  our  nature ;  till  then  we  may  say, 
"  These  things  we  should  do ; "  but  cannot  say,  "  These 
things  we  do  : "  and  so  witness  against  ourselves,  that,' 
though  we  have  the  Scriptures,  we  walk  not  according 
to  the  Scriptures ;  though  we  have  the  words  of  Christ, 
we  are  not  in  the  life  and  nature  of  Christ;  our  yea  is 
not  yea,  and  our  nay,  nay,  in  our  communications; 
our  words  and  our  promises  are  not  steadfast  and  sure. 

An  exhortation  or  command  of  our  Lord  was  this, 
" Resist  not  evil ;"  and  this  was  not  only  his, doctrine, 
but  his  life  and  nature,  as  we  may  plentifully  read  in 
Scripture.  Though  He  met  with  revilings,  reproaches, 
buffetings  and  cruel  usage,  we  do  not  find  that  He  was 
once  moved  thereby,  much  less  that  ever  He  resisted; 
but  gave  his  face  to  the  smiter,  and  his  cheeks  to  them 
that  plucked  olF  the  hair ;  and  when  He  was  led  as  a 
lamb  to  the  slaughter,  "  He  was  as  a  sheep  dumb  before 
the  shearer ;  He  opened  not  his  mouth." 

Now  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  in  the  Head  and  mem- 
bers, are  one  in  nature ;  for  as  Christ  was  humble, 
lowly,  meek,  patient,  peaceable,  under  all  his  sufferings, 
so  are  Christians,  if  Christians  indeed :  they  render  not 
evil  for  evil,  they  desire  not  an  eye  for  an  eye,  nor  a 
tooth  for  a  tooth;  revenge  of  any  kind  is  far  from 
them ;  but  as  patience  and  forbearance  was  the  life 
and  nature  of  Christ,  so  it  is  the  life  and  nature  of  all 
Christians,  as  they  grow  in  grace,  and  come  to  the 
fulness  of  the  stature  of  Christ. 

Another  command  of  Christ  was  this,  "  Love  your 
enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them 
that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  that  despitefully  use 
you  and  persecute  you." 


THE  TEST  OF  OUR  CHRISTIANITY. 


3 


"No  man,  having  the  Spirit  of  Jesus,  and  living  under 
the  government  thereof,  can  hate  his  brother ;  for  by 
creation  we  are  all  the  workmanship  of  God's  hands ; 
and  all  true  Christians  know  that  enmity,  hatred, 
cursing,  spite  and  persecution,  proceed  not  from  men, 
as  they  are  the  Lord's  creation,  but  as  they  have  lost 
this  image,  and  thereby  become  emptied  of  good,  and 
filled  with  all  evil :  for  as  an  evil  spirit  comes  to  have 
the  rule  over  us,  evil  fruits  will  be  brought  forth  by  us. 

Could  we  but  see  ourselves,  did  we  but  observe  our 
own  natures,  with  the  fruits  we  bring  forth  in  our  lives, 
we  might  easily  judge  of  ourselves  whether  we  were 
converts  or  not;  whether  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  or  the 
spirit  of  this  world,  had  the  rule  in  us,  and  over  us ; 
for  the  course  of  our  lives,  especially  in  times  of  trial, 
declares  who  are  led  by  the  meek  Spirit  of  Jesus,  and 
who  are  not;  who  are  leavened  with  the  leaven  of 
righteousness,  and  who  are  not ;  who  lead  a  sober, 
upright,  godly  life,  and  who  do  not ;  it  is  not  our 
words,  but  our  conversation,  our  lives,  that  manifest 
what  spirit  hath  the  rule  in  us  and  over  us. 

As  many  as  have  found  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness,  and  are  come  to  live  under  the  rule  and 
government  of  a  right  Spirit,  have  the  mind  of  Christ ; 
though  they  live  in  the  world,  their  thoughts  run  not 
out  after  the  world.  A  true  Christian  is  diligent  in  his 
calling,  moderate  in  his  expenses,  content  in  his  state ; 
takes  but  little  thought  what  he  shall  eat,  or  what  he 
shall  drink,  or  wherewithal  he  shall  be  clothed;  he 
delights  in  justice,  equity,  truth  and  faithfulness,  and 
his  thoughts  are  exercised  therein,  and  resting  on  God's 
providence,  his  honest  endeavors  are  attended  with  a 
blessing. 

There  must  be  a  death  unto  sin,  before  there  can  be 
a  new  birth  unto  righteousness;  and  a  growth  in  right- 


4 


THE  TEST  OF  OUR  CHRISTIANITY. 


eousness,  before  we  can  centre  in  that  content,  as  to 
"  take  no  thought  of  what  we  shall  eat,  what  we  shall 
drink,  or  wherewithal  we  shall  be  clothed."  And  so  it 
is  every  man's  principal  concern,  first  to  seek  the  king- 
dom of  God  and  his  righteousness ;  first  tp  know  the 
rule  and  government  of  a  right  Spirit  in  himself ;  for 
this  makes  him  capable  of  leading  a  Christian  life,  and 
of  performing  Christian  duties  both  to  God  and  man. 

"All  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should 
do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them ;  for  this  is  the  law 
and  the  prophets." 

Were  the  understandings  of  all  who  are  called  Chris- 
tians enlightened  to  see  themselves  as  they  are,  to 
prove  themselves  by  this  Christian  rule,  weigh  them- 
selves in  this  equal  balance,  the  following  sorts  of  men 
and  women,  with  many  others,  would  not  pass  for  true 
Christians : 

All  such  as  detain  the  wages  of  the  hireling,  or  grind 
the  poor,  by  beating  down  the  value  of  their  labor  till 
they  cannot  live  thereby. 

All  such  as  in  trade  or  dealing  use  light  weights, 
short  measure,  or  any  other  kind  of  deceit. 

All  such  as  either  give  or  take  bribes. 

All  such  as  take  wages  to  serve,  and  are  not  faithful 
to  their  trust. 

All  such  as  make  contracts,  and  perform  not  the 
same ;  or  engage  themselves  by  promises,  and  have  no 
regard  to  their  word. 

All  such  as  by  evil  reports,  whisperings,  or  back- 
bitings,  sow  the  seeds  of  strife,  create  prejudice,  or 
quench  charity. 

None  of  these  abide  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  none 
of  these  do  as  they  would  be  done  unto ;  though  they 
bear  a  Christian  name,  they  are  strangers  to  a  Christian 
life. 


THE  TEST  OF  OUR  CHRISTIANITY. 


5 


By  what  way  may  the  proud  become  humble,  the 
wild  become  sober,  the  covetous  become  content,  the 
fraudulent  become  just,  the  intemperate  become  mod- 
erate, the  incontinent  become  chaste,  the  unfaithful 
become  faithful  ? 

By  reading  good  books,  and  conferring  with  good 
men,  we  may  be  convicted,  but  not  thoroughly  con- 
verted :  for  as  virtue  hath  a  spring,  so  vice  hath  a  root 
that  mere  words  will  not  reach.  The  strength  of  sin, 
is  the  growth  of  that  seed  which  the  wicked  one  hath 
sown  in  the  inward  parts  of  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
men ;  and  forasmuch  as  the  cause  is  within,  it  is  im- 
possible it  should  be  wholly  removed  by  things  with- 
out :  as  the  cause  is  within,  so  the  cure  must  be  within, 
by  mortifying  the  body  of  sin,  or  bringing  down  the 
strength  thereof;  which  is  thus  effected  : 

There  is  no  unrighteous  thing  done,  but  there  is  an 
inward  motion  before  there  is  any  outward  action ; 
and,  by  that  light  which  enlighteneth  every  man  that 
cometh  into  the  world,  if  our  eyes  are  inward,  we  may 
see  those  motions :  and  the  way  to  mortify  the  body  of 
sin,  is  to  deny  and  turn  from  every  such  motion  in  the 
rising  thereof;  for  in  their  rising  they  are  weak  and 
powerless,  and  may  be  easily  turned  back.  If  we  do 
not  suppress  vice  in  the  risings  thereof,  it  will  continue 
our  lord;  but  by  every  such  denial,  we  bring  down  that 
which  would  arise  and  reign  in  us  and  over  us,  whether 
it  be  pride,  covetousness,  envy,  falsehood,  or  any  other 
vice  whatever;  for  the  more  denials  are  given  to  vice, 
the  fewer  assaults  it  will  make ;  the  stronger  the  oppo- 
sition, the  weaker  the  attempt.  As  yielding  gives  vice 
ground  to  grow  from  a  seed  to  a  body,  denials  bring  it 
down  from  a  body  to  a  seed;  so  that  though  something 
thereof  may  abide  in  us,  it  doth  not  reign  over  us. 

The  axe  is  never  laid  to  the  root  of  the  tree,  till  a 


6 


THE  TEST  OF  OUR  CHRISTIANITY. 


reformation  begins  within ;  the  life  of  righteousness 
stands  or  has  its  rise,  in  the  mortification  of  sin,  which 
is  an  inward  work.  The  spirit  of  this  world  must  be 
brought  down,  before  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  can  be 
exalted  in  us. 

And  as  they  that  live  after  the  flesh  have  less  life, 
less  light,  less  grace,  less  fear;  so  such  as  walk  after 
the  Spirit,  doing  such  things  as  are  upright,  honest 
and  of  good  report,  from  a  principle  in  their  own 
hearts,  find  an  increase :  they  come  to  have  more  life, 
more  light,  more  grace,  more  fear  of  offending  God; 
and  this  increase  is  a  living  unto  righteousness.  As 
the  one  goes  further  from,  so  the  other  draws  nearer 
to,  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

Now  a  talent  is  not  improved  by  lying  hid  in  a  nap- 
kin :  if  we  would  have  more  grace,  we  must  exercise 
the  measure  we  have  attained  unto ;  we  must  live  in 
the  continual  practice  of  right  things ;  we  must  keep 
in  lowliness,  meekness,  temperance,  patience,  and  other 
virtues;  we  must  be  just  in  our  dealings,  as  well  in  the 
smallest  concern  as  in  those  which  are  more  weighty ; 
for  a  small  matter  turns  the  balance,  and  if  that  small 
matter  be  wanting,  things  are  not  just,  we  do  not  as 
we  would  be  done  by. 

And  this  just  dealing,  as  righteousness  comes  to 
reign,  will  be  no  hard  thing,  for  as  we  accustom  our- 
selves thereunto,  it  will  be  uppermost ;  it  will  be  as  a 
diligent  handmaid,  ready  to  offer  her  service;  and 
every  act  of  righteousness  performed  in  a  right  spirit, 
hath  its  reward,  which  is  not  only  an  answer  of  peace, 
but  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  way  of  life  is  the  way  of  pleasantness,  all  her 
paths  are  peace.  At  the  beginning  of  our  journey,  it 
will  seem  a  strait  and  narrow  way;  but  after  we  have 
travelled  on  awhile,  we  shall  run  therein  with  great 


THE  TEST  OF  OUR  CHRISTIANITY. 


7 


delight.  For  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  or  Christ's  gov- 
ernment by  his  eternal  Spirit  in  the  hearts  of  his 
people,  doth  not  consist  of  righteousness  alone;  the 
righteousness  that  proceeds  from  a  right  spirit,  is  ac- 
companied with  peace  and  joy.  As  ill-doing  is  attended 
with  trouble  and  sorrow,  well-doing  is  attended  with 
peace  and  joy.  All  the  pleasures  of  wickedness,  that 
the  whole  world  affords,  are  not  to  be  compared  to  the 
joys  of  a  righteous  life.  Every  evil  motion  we  deny,  in 
obedience  unto  Christ,  affordeth  a  superior  joy  to  that 
which  a  warrior  hath  in  battle,  when  his  enemy  fleeth 
before  him. 

What  can  satisfy  a  soul  that  thirsteth  after  righteous- 
ness, but  that  which  is  in  very  truth  the  spring  of 
righteousness  ?  It  is  in  ourselves  the  well  is  to  be 
found,  that  whosoever  drinketh  of  shall  never  thirst; 
there  is  the  spring  that  floweth  up  unto  everlasting  life. 

As  the  kingdom  of  heaven  stands  not  in  words,  but 
in  power;  so  it  is  not  words,  but  the  power  of  God 
that  can  mortify  the  deeds  of  the  body,  change  our 
nature,  and  make  us  new  creatures. 

Should  we  enter  into  reasoning  with  any  motions  of 
sin,  it  is  much  if  we  are  not  overcome  thereby ;  for  it 
is  the  nature  of  sin,  not  to  turn  back  at  a  small  denial, 
especially  if  it  be  a  sin  that  hath  prevailed  over  us 
before;  but  in  turning  therefrom  we  give  it  the  repulse: 
if  it  be  not  hearkened  unto,  it  goes  back. 

And  what  can  show  us  the  rising  of  evil  motions  ? 
nothing  that  is  without  can  effectually  show  us  what 
is  within  :  it  must  be  an  inward  light ;  it  must  be  the 
eternal  Spirit,  that  was  in  the  beginning  given  unto 
man  for  an  instructor. 

As  the  seed  of  sin  grows  and  waxeth  strong  in  us  by 
our  yielding  to  evil  motions,  so  the  seed  of  grace  grows 
and  waxeth  strong  in  us  by  the  denying  of  evil  motions. 


8 


THE  TEST  OF  OUR  CHRISTIANITY. 


As  the  old  man  is  put  off,  the  new  man  is  put  on ;  as 
vice  is  denied,  virtue  is  embraced. 

But  if  this  old  man  with  his  deeds  of  darkness  be  not 
put  off,  the  new  man  that  is  created  after  God's  image 
in  righteousness  and  true  holiness,  will  not  be  put  on : 
and  though  we  have  been  awakened  unto  righteous- 
ness, we  shall  fall  asleep  again,  some  in  one  form  and 
some  in  another,  feeding  on  words  without  any  sense 
of  power  or  life ;  and  this  second  sleep  appears  to  be  a 
dead  sleep;  for  that  though  we  may  hear  much  spoken 
against  pride,  covetousness,  envy,  &c,  we  are  not  so 
much  as  touched  therewith,  but  live  in  the  open  show 
thereof. 

Did  the  sons  and  daughters  of  men  who  are  called 
Christians,  make  it  their  concern  to  be  Christians  in- 
deed, by  mortifying  in  themselves  the  spirit  of  this 
world,  they  would  be  not  only  happy,  but  a  lovely 
people ;  for  by  mortifying  the  body  of  sin,  oppression 
would  cease,  all  wrongs  and  injuries  would  be  at  an 
end ;  love  would  spring  both  to  God  and  man ;  grace 
would  grow;  humility,  meekness,  moderation  and  all 
other  virtues  would  show  themselves.  They  would  be 
another  manner  of  people  in  their  conversation ;  their 
words  and  their  works  would  be  just,  upright  and 
honest;  they  would  confide  in  one  another  without 
any  scruple  or  doubt.  What  is  more  lovely  than  to  be 
at  all  times,  and  on  all  occasions,  just,  upright,  honest 
and  faithful,  doing  to  all  men,  in  all  things,  even  as 
we  would  that  they  should  do  unto  us  ?  Living  under 
the  rule  and  government  of  a  right  spirit,  qualifies  us 
for  performing  every  Christian  duty :  "  We  shall  love 
the  Lord  our  God  with  all  our  hearts,  and  our  neigh- 
bors as  ourselves ; "  which  is  the  sum  of  all  godliness, 
and  the  true  character  of  Christianity. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a, 


No.  108. 


THE 


LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


"Again  therefore,  Jesus  spake  unto  them,  saying,  I  am  the  light  of 
the  world:  he  that  followeth  me  shall  not  walk  in  the  darkness,  but 
shall  have  the  light  of  life."    John  viii-12 — R.  V. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  ERIENDS, 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 


1891. 


Selected  from  the  Gospel 

ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN.—R.  V. 


In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  "Word  was 
with  God,  and  the  Word  Avas  God.  The  same  was  in 
the  beginning  with  God.  All  things  were  made  by 
him ;  and  without  him  was  not  anything  made  that 
hath  been  made.  In  him  was  life  ;  and  the  life  was  the 
light  of  men.  And  the  light  sbineth  in  the  darkness ; 
and  the  darkness  apprehended  it  not.  There  came  a 
man,  sent  from  God,  whose  name  was  John.  The  same 
came  for  witness,  that  he  might  bear  witness  of  the 
light,  that  all  might  believe  through  him.  He  was  not 
the  light,  but  came  that  he  might  bear  witness  of  the 
light.  There  was  the  true  light,  even  (he  light  which 
lighteth  every  man,  coming  into  the  world.  He  was  in 
the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  by  him,  and  the 
world  knew  him  not.  He  came  unto  his  own,  and  they 
that  were  his  own  received  him  not.  But  as  many  as 
received  him,  to  them  gave  he  the  right  to  become 
children  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his  name  : 
which  were  born  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the 
flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God.  And  the 
Word  became  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us  (and  we 
beheld  his  glory,  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  from 
the  Father),  full  of  grace  and  truth.  John  beareth 
witness  of  him,  and  crieth,  saying,  This  was  he  of  whom 
I  said,  He  that  cometh  after  me  is  become  before  me  : 
for  he  was  before  me.  For  of  his  fullness  we  all  re- 
ceived, and  grace  for  grace.  For  the  law  was  given  by 
Moses ;  grace  and  truth  came  by  Jesus  Christ. 

Now  there  was  a  man  of  the  Pharisees,  named 
Nicodemus,  a  ruler  of  the  Jews:  the  same  came  unto 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


6 


him  by  night,  and  said  to  him,  Rabbi,  we  know  that 
thou  art  a  teacher  come  from  God :  for  no  man  can  do 
these  signs  that  thou  doest,  except  God  be  with  him. 
Jesus  answered,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  Except 
a  man  be  born  of  water  and  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God.  That  which  is  born  of  the 
flesh  is  flesh;  and  that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is 
spirit.  Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto  thee,  Ye  must  be 
born  anew.  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and 
thou  nearest  the  voice  thereof,  but  knowest  not  whence 
it  cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth  :  so  is  every  one  that 
is  born  of  the  Spirit.  And  as  Moses  lifted  up  the 
serpent  in  the  wilderness,*  even  so  must  the  Son  of  man 
be  lifted  up :  that  whosoever  believeth  may  in  him 
have  eternal  life.  For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he 
gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth 
on  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life.  For 
God  sent  not  the  Son  into  the  world  to  judge  the 
world;  but  that  the  world  should  be  saved  through  him. 
lie  that  believeth  on  him  is  not  judged  :  he  that 
believeth  not  hath  been  judged  already,  because  he 
hath  not  believed  on  the  name  of  the  only  begotten 
Son  of  God.  And  this  is  the  judgment,  that  the  light 
is  come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved  the  darkness 
rather  than  the  light :  for  their  works  were  evil. 
For  every  one  that  doeth  ill  hateth  the  light,  and 
cometh  not  to  the  light,  lest  his  works  should  be  re- 
proved. But  he  that  doeth  the  truth  cometh  to  the 
light,  that  his  works  may  be  made  manifest,  that  they 
have  been  wrought  in  God. 

So  he  cometh  to  a  city  of  Samaria,  called  Sychar, 
near  to  the  parcel  of  ground  that  Jacob  gave  to  his  son 
Joseph  :  and  Jacob's  well  was  there.  Jesus  therefore, 
being  wearied  with  his  journey,  sat  thus  by  the  well. 

*see  Numbers,  xxi :  9. 


4 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


It  was  about  the  sixth  hour.  There  cometh  a  woman 
of  Samaria  to  draw  water :  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Give 
me  to  drink.  The  Samaritan  woman  therefore  saith 
unto  him,  How  is  it  that  thou,  being  a  Jew,  askest 
drink  of  me,  which  am  a  Samaritan  woman?  (For 
Jews  have  no  dealings  with  Samaritans).  Jesus  an- 
swered and  said  unto  her,  If  thou  knewest  the  gift  of 
God,  and  who  it  is  that  saith  to  thee,  Give  me  to  drink; 
thou  wouldst  have  asked  of  him,  and  he  would  have 
given  thee  living  water.  The  woman  saith  unto  him, 
Sir,  thou  hast  nothing  to  draw  with,  and  the  well  is 
deep  :  from  whence  then  hast  thou  that  living  water? 
Art  thou  greater  than  our  father  Jacob,  which  gave  us 
the  well,  and  drank  thereof  himself,  and  his  sons,  and 
his  cattle  ?  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  her,  Every 
one  that  drinketh  of  this  wrater  shall  thirst  again :  'but 
whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him 
shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him 
shall  become  in  him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  unto 
eternal  life.  The  woman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  I  perceive 
that  thou  art  a  prophet.  Our  fathers  worshipped  in 
this  mountain ;  and  ye  say,  that  in  Jerusalem  is  the 
place  where  men  ought  to  worship.  Jesus  saith  unto 
her,  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour  cometh,  when  neither 
in  this  mountain,  nor  in  Jerusalem,  shall  ye  worship 
the  Father.  Ye  worship  that  which  ye  know  not :  we 
worship  that  which  we  know  :  for  salvation  is  from  the 
Jewrs.  But  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the 
true  worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit 
and  truth :  for  such  doth  the  Father  seek  to  be  his 
worshippers.  God  is  a  Spirit :  and  they  that  worship 
him  must  worship  in  spirit  and  truth.  The  woman 
saith  unto  him,  I  know  that  Messiah  cometh  (which  is 
called  Christ) :  when  he  is  come,  he  will  declare  unto 
us  all  things.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  I  that  speak  unto 
thee  am  he. 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


5 


After  these  things  Jesus  went  away  to  the  other 
side  of  the  sea  of  Galilee,  which  is  the  sea  of  Tiberias. 
And  a  great  multitude  followed  him,  because  they 
beheld  the  signs  which  he  did  on  them  that  were  sick. 
They  said  therefore  unto  him,  What  must  we  do  that 
we  may  work  the  works  of  God  ?  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  them,  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that 
ye  believe  on  him  whom  he  hath  sent.  They  said 
therefore  unto  him,  What  then  doest  thou  for  a  sign, 
that  we  may  see,  and  believe  thee  ?  what  workest  thou  ? 
Our  fathers  ate  the  manna  in  the  wilderness;*  as  it  is 
written,  He  gave  them  bread  out  of  heaven  to  eat. 
Jesus  therefore  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  It  was  not  Moses  that  gave  you  the  bread 
out  of  heaven ;  but  my  Father  giveth  you  the  true 
bread  out  of  heaven.  For  the  bread  of  God  is  that 
which  cometh  down  out  of  heaven,  and  giveth  life  unto 
the  world.  They  said  therefore  unto  him,  Lord,  ever- 
more give  us  this  bread.  Jesus  said  unto  them,  I  am 
the  bread  of  life  :  he  that  cometh  to  me  shall  not 
hunger,  and  he  that  belie veth  on  me  shall  never  thirst. 
But  I  said  unto  you,  that  ye  have  seen  me,  and  yet  be- 
lieve not.  All  that  which  the  Father  giveth  me  shall 
come  unto  me ;  and  him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will  in 
no  wise  cast  out.  For  I  am  come  down  from  heaven, 
not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that  sent 
me.  And  this  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  that  of 
all  that  which  he  hath  given  me  I  should  lose  nothing, 
but  should  raise  it  up  at  the  last  day.  For  this  is  the 
will  of  my  Father,  that  every  one  that  beholdeth  the 
Son,  and  believeth  on  him,  should  have  eternal  life; 
and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  The  Jews  there- 
fore murmured  concerning  him,  because  he  said,  I  am 
the  bread  which  came  down  out  of  heaven.   And  they 

*See  Exodus,  xvi :  14, 15. 


6 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


said,  Is  not  this  Jesus,  the  son  of  Joseph,  whose  father 
and  mother  we  know?  how  doth  he  now  say,  I  am 
come  down  out  of  heaven  ?  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  them,  Murmur  not  among  yourselves.  No  man 
can  come  to  me,  except  the  Father  which  sent  me 
draw  him :  and  I  will  raise  him  up  in  the  last  day.  It 
is  written  in  the  prophets,  And  they  shall  all  be  taught 
of  God.  Every  one  that  hath  heard  from  the  Father, 
and  hath  learned,  cometh  unto  me.  Not  that  any 
man  hath  seen  the  Father,  save  he  which  is  from  God, 
he  hath  seen  the  Father.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  He  that  believeth  hath  eternal  life.  I  am  the 
bread  of  life.  Your  fathers  did  eat  the  manna  in  the 
wilderness,  and  they  died.  This  is  the  bread  which 
cometh  down  out  of  heaven,  that  a  man  may  eat 
thereof,  and  not  die.  I  am  the  living  bread  which 
came  down  out  of  heaven  ;  if  any  man  eat  of  this 
bread,  he  shall  live  forever :  yea  and  the  bread  which 
I  will  give  is  my  flesh,  for  the  life  of  the  world.  The 
Jews  therefore  strove  one  with  another,  saying,  How 
can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh  to  eat?  Jesus  therefore 
said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Except 
ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man  and  drink  his 
blood,  ye  have  not  life  in  yourselves.  He  that  eateth 
my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood  hath  eternal  life; 
and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day.  For  my  flesh 
is  meat  indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed.  He 
that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood  abideth 
in  me,  and  I  in  him.  As  the  living  Father  sent  me, 
and  I  live  because  of  the  Father ;  so  he.  that  eateth 
me,  he  also  shall  live  because  of  me.  This  is  the 
bread  which  came  down  out  of  heaven  :  not  as  the 
fathers  did  eat,  and  died  :  he  that  eateth  this  bread 
shall  live  forever.  These  things  said  he  in  the  syna- 
gogue, as  he  taught  in  Capernaum.  Many  therefore  of 
his  disciples,  when  they  heard  this,  said,  This  is  a  hard 
saying;  who  can  hear  it?  But  Jesus  knowing  in  him- 
self that  his  disciples  murmured  at  this,  said  unto  them, 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


7 


Doth  this  cause  you  to  stumble?  What  then  if  ye 
should  behold  the  Son  of  man  ascending  where  he  was 
before?  It  is  the  spirit  that  cuiickeneth :  the  flesh 
prohteth  nothing:  the  words  that  I  have  spoken  unto 
you  are  spirit,  and  are  life. 

But  when  it  was  now  the  midst  of  the  feast  Jesus  went 
up  into  the  temple,  and  taught.  The  Jews  therefore 
marvelled,  saying,  How  knoweth  this  man  letters,  hav- 
ing never  learned  ?  Jesus  therefore  answered  them,  and 
said,  My  teaching  is  not  mine,  but  his  that  sent  me. 
If  anv  man  willeth  to  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the 
teaching,  whether  it  be  of  God,  or  whether  I  speak  from 
myself.  He  that  speaketh  from  himself,  seeketh  his 
own  glory  :  but  he  that  seeketh  the  glory  of  him  that 
sent  him,  the  same  is  true,  and  no  unrighteousness  is 
in  him. 

Xow  on  the  last  day,  the  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus 
stood  and  cried,  saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him 
come  unto  me,  and  drink.  He  that  believeth  on  me, 
as  the  scripture  hath  said,  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow 
rivers  of  living  water.  But  this  spake  he  of  the  Spirit, 
which  they  that  believed  on  him  were  to  receive  :  for 
the  Spirit  was  not  yet  given;  because  Jesus  was  not 
yet  glorified.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that 
entereth  not  by  the  door  into  the  fold  of  the  sheep, 
but  climbeth  up  some  other  way,  the  same  is  a  thief 
and  a  robber.  I  am  the  door  :  by  me  if  any  man  enter 
in,  he  shall  be  saved,  and  shall  go  in  and  go  out,  and  shall 
find  pasture.  The  thief  cometh  not,  but  that  he  may  steal, 
and  kill,  and  destroy  :  I  came  that  they  may  have  life, 
and  may  have  it  abundantly.  I  am  the  good  shepherd; 
and  I  know  mine  own,  and  mine  own  know  me,  even  as 
the  Father  knoweth  me,  and  I  know  the  Father ;  and 
I  lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep.  And  other  sheep  I 
have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold  :  them  also  I  must 
bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice ;  and  they  shall 
become  one  flock,  one  shepherd.  Therefore  doth  the 
Father  love  me,  because  I  lay  down  my  life,  that  I  may 


8 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


take  it  again.  No  one  taketh  it  away  from  me,  but  I 
lay  it  down  of  myself.  I  have  power  to  lay  it  down, 
and  I  have  power  to  take  it  again.  This  commandment 
received  I  from  my  Father.  My  sheep  hear  my  voice, 
and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me  :  and  I  give  unto 
them  eternal  life;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  and  no 
one  shall  snatch  them  out  of  my  hand.  My  Father, 
which  hath  given  them,  unto  me,  is  greater  than  all;  and 
no  one  is  able  to  snatch  them  out  of  the  Father's  hand. 
I  and  the  Father  are  one. 

Now  a  certain  man  was  sick,  Lazarus  of  Bethany, 
of  the  village  of  Mary  and  her  sister  Martha.  And  it  was 
that  Mary  which  anointed  the  Lord  with  ointment,  and 
wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair,  whose  brother  Lazarus 
was  sick.  The  sisters  therefore  sent  unto  him,  saying, 
Lord,  behold,  he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick.  But  when 
Jesus  heard  it,  he  said,  This  sickness  is  not  unto  death, 
but  for  the  glory  of  God,  that  the  Son  of  God  may  be 
glorified  thereby.  Now  Jesus  loved  Martha,  and  her 
sister,  and  Lazarus.  When  therefore  he  heard  that  he  was 
sick,  he  abode  at  that  time  two  days  in  the  place  where  he 
was.  Then  after  this  he  saith  to  the  disciples,  Let  us  go 
into  Judaea  again.  The  disciples  say  unto  him,  Babbi, 
the  Jews  were  but  now  seeking  to  stone  thee;  and  goest 
thou  thither  again?  Jesus  answered,  Are  there  not 
twelve  hours  in  the  day  ?  If  a  man  walk  in  the  day, 
he  stumbleth  not,  because  he  seeth  the  light  of  this 
world.  But  if  a  man  walk  in  the  night,  he  stumbleth, 
because  the  light  is  not  in  him.  These  things  spake 
he:  and  after  this  he  saith  unto  them,  Our  friend 
Lazarus  is  fallen  asleep ;  but  I  go,  that  I  may  awake 
him  out  of  sleep.  The  disciples  therefore  said  unto 
him,  Lord,  if  he  is  fallen  asleep,  he  will  recover.  Now 
Jesus  had  spoken  of  his  death  :  but  they  thought  that 
he  spake  of  taking  rest  in  sleep.  Then  Jesus  there- 
fore said  unto  them  plainly,  Lazarus  is  dead.  And  I  am 
glad  for  your  sakes  that  I  was  not  there,  to  the  intent 
ye  may  believe;  nevertheless,  let  us  go  unto  him. 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


9 


So  when  Jesus  came,  he  found  that  he  nad  been 
in  the  tomb  four  days  already.  And  many  of  the  Jews 
had  come  to  Martha  and  Mary,  to  console  them  con- 
cerning their  brother.  Martha  therefore,  when  she 
heard  that  Jesus  was  coming,  went  and  met  him  :  but 
Mary  still  sat  in  the  house.  Martha  therefore  said 
unto  Jesus,  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother 
had  not  died.  And  even  now  I  know  that,  whatsoever 
thou  shalt  ask  of  God,  God  will  give  thee.  Jesus  saith 
unto  her,  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again.  Martha  saith 
unto  him,  I  know  that  he  shall  rise  again  in  the  resur- 
rection at  the  last  day.  Jesus  said  unto  her,  I  am  the 
resurrection  and  the  life :  he  that  belie veth  on  me, 
though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live:  and  whosoever  liveth 
and  believeth  on  me  shall  never  die.  Believest  thou  this  ? 
She  saith  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord ;  I  have  believed  that  thou 
art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  even  he  that  cometh  into 
the  world.  And  when  she  had  said  this,  she  went  away, 
and  called  Mary  her  sister  secretly,  saying,  The  Master 
is  here,  and  calleth  thee.  And  she,  when  she  heard  it, 
arose  quickly,  and  went  unto  him.  (Xow  Jesus  was  not 
yet  come  into  the  village,  but  was  still  in  the  place 
where  Martha  met  him).  The  Jews  then  which  were 
with  her  in  the  house,  and  were  comforting  her,  when 
they  saw  Mary,  that  she  rose  up  quickly  and  went  out, 
followed  her,  supposing  that  she  was  going  unto  the 
tomb  to  weep  there.  Mary  therefore,  when  she  came 
where  Jesus  was,  and  saw  him,  fell  down  at  his  feet, 
saying  unto  him,  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my 
brother  had  not  died.  When  Jesus  therefore  saw  her 
weeping,  and  the  Jews  also  weeping  which  came  with 
her,  he  groaned  in  the  spirit,  and  was  troubled,  and 
said,  Where  have  ye  laid  him  ?  They  say  unto  him, 
Lord,  come  and  see.  Jesus  wept.  The  Jews  therefore 
said,  Behold  how  he  loved  him  !  But  some  of  them 
said,  Could  not  this  man,  which  opened  the  eyes  of 
him  that  was  blind,  have  caused  that  this  man  also 
should  not  die?    Jesus  therefore,  as^aiii  groaning:  in 


10 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


himself  cometh  to  the  tomb.  Now  it  was  a  cave,  and  a 
stone  lay  against  it.  Jesus  saith,  Take  ye  away  the 
stone.  Martha,  the  sister  of  him  that  was  dead,  saith 
unto  him,  Lord,  by  this  time  he  stinketh:  for  he  hath 
been  dead  four  days.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Said  I  not 
unto  thee,  that,  if  thou  believedst,  thou  shouldest  see  the 
glory  of  God  ?  So  they  took  away  the  stone.  And 
Jesus  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  said,  Father,  I  thank  thee 
that  thou  heardest  me.  And  I  knew  that  thou  nearest 
me  always :  but  because  of  the  multitude  which  standeth 
around  I  said  it,  that  they  may  believe  that  thou  didst 
send  me.  And  when  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  cried  with 
a  loud  voice,  Lazarus,  come  forth.  He  that  was  dead 
came  forth,  bound  hand  and  foot  with  grave-clothes; 
and  his  face  was  bound  about  with  a  napkin.  Jesus 
saith  unto  them,  Loose  him,  and  let  him  go.  Many 
therefore  of  the  Jews,  which  came  to  Mary  and  beheld 
that  which  he  did,  believed  on  him. 

Jesus  therefore  said  unto  them,  Yet  a  little  while  is 
the  light  among  you.  Walk  while  ye  have  the  light, 
that  darkness  overtake  you  not :  and  lie  that  walketh 
in  the  darkness  knoweth  not  whither  he  goeth.  While 
ye  have  the  light,  believe  on  the  light,  that  ye  may 
become  sons  of  light.  I  am  come  a  light  into  the 
world,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  me  may  not  abide 
in  the  darkness.  And  if  any  man  hear  my  sayings, 
and  keep  them  not,  I  judge  him  not :  for  I  came 
not  to  judge  the  world,  but  to  save  the  world.  He 
that  rejecteth  me,  and  receiveth  not  my  sayings,  hath 
one  that  judgeth  him:  the  word  that  I  spake,  the  same 
shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day.  For  I  spake  not  from 
myself ;  but  the  Father  which  sent  me,  he  hath  given 
me  a  commandment,  what  I  should  say,  and  what  I 
should  speak.  And  I  knowT  that  his  commandment  is 
life  eternal :  the  things  therefore  which  I  speak,  even 
as  the  Father  hath  said  unto  me,  so  I  speak. 

Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled :  ye  believe  in  God, 
believe  also  in  me.    In  my  Father's  house  are  many 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


11 


mansions;  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you; 
for  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  and 
prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  come  again,  and  will  receive 
you  unto  myself;  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be 
also.  And  whither  I  go,  ye  know  the  way.  Thomas 
saith  unto  him,  Lord,  we  know  not  whither  thou 
goest;  how  know  we  the  way  ?  Jesus  saith  unto  him, 
I  am  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life :  no  one 
cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me.  If  ye  love  me,  ye 
will  keep  my  commandments.  And  I  will  pray  the 
Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that 
he  may  be  with  you  forever,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth  : 
whom  the  world  cannot  receive;  for  it  beholdeth  him 
not,  neither  knoweth  him :  ye  know  him ;  for  he  abideth 
with  you,  and  shall  be  in  you.  I  will  not  leave  you 
desolate :  I  come  unto  vou.  These  things  have  I 
spoken  unto  you,  while  yet  abiding  with  you.  But 
the  Comforter,  even  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom  the  Father 
will  send  in  my  name,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and 
bring  to  your  remembrance  all  that  I  said  unto  you. 

I  am  the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  husband- 
man. Every  branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  fruit,  he 
taketh  it  away :  and  every  branch  that  beareth  fruit,  he 
cleanseth  it,  that  it  may  bear  more  fruit.  Already  ye 
are  clean  because  of  the  word  which  I  have  spoken 
unto  you.  Abide  in  me,  and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch 
cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine; 
so  neither  can  ye,  except  ye  abide  in  me.  I  am  the 
vine,  ye  are  the  branches :  He  that  abideth  in  me,  and 
I  in  him,  the  same  beareth  much  fruit:  for  apart  from 
me  ye  can  do  nothing.  If  a  man  abide  not  in  me,  he 
is  cast  forth  as  a  branch,  and  is  withered ;  and  they 
gather  them,  and  cast  them  into  the  fire,  and  they  are 
burned.  If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in 
you,  ask  whatsoever  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto 
you.  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much 
fruit ;  and  so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples.  Even  as  the 
Father  hath  loved  me,  I  also  have  loved  you  :  abide  ye 


12 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


in  my  love.  If  ye  keep  my  commandments,  ye  shall 
abide  in  my  love;  even  as  I  have  kept  my  Father's 
commandments,  and  abide  in  his  love.  These  things 
have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  my  joy  may  be  in  you, 
and  that  your  joy  may  be  fulfilled.  This  is  my  com- 
mandment, that  ye  love  one  another  even  as  I  have 
loved  you.  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a 
man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends.  Ye  are  my 
friends,  if*,  ye  do  the  things  which  I  command  you. 
For  the  Father  himself  loveth  you,  because  ye  have 
loved  me,  and  have  believed  that  I  came  forth  from 
the  Father.  I  came  out  from  the  Father,  and  am  come 
into  the  world:  again, I  leave  the  world,  and  go  unto 
the  Father.  His  disciples  say,  Lo,  now  speakest  thou 
plainly,  and  speakest  no  proverb.  Now  know  we 
that  thou  knowest  all  things,  and  needest  not  that  any 
man  should  ask  thee:  by  this  we  believe  that  thou 
earnest  forth  from  God.  Jesus  answered  them,  Do  ye 
now  believe  ?  Behold,  the  hour  cometh,  yea,  is  come, 
that  ye  shall  be  scattered,  every  man  to  his  own,  and 
shall  leave  me  alone :  and  yet  I  am  not  alone,  because 
the  Father  is  with  me.  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto 
you,  that  in  me  ye  may  have  peace.  In  the  world  ye 
have  tribulation :  but  be  of  good  cheer ;  I  have  over- 
come the  world. 

These  things  spake  Jesus;  and  lifting  up  his  eyes  to 
heaven,  he  said,  Father,  the  hour  is  come ;  glorify  thy 
Son,  that  the  Son  may  glorify  thee  :  even  as  thou  gavest 
him  authority  over  all  flesh,  that  whatsoever  thou  hast 
given  him,  to  them  he  should  give  eternal  life.  And 
this  is  life  eternal,  that  they  should  know  thee  the  only 
true  God,  and  him  whom  thou  didst  send,  even  Jesus 
Christ. 


No.  109. 


THE 


KINGDOM  OF  GOD  WITHIN. 


The  time  is  fulfilled,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand  ;  repent 
ye,  and  believe  the  Gospel." 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 


THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD  WITHIN. 


•'The  time  is  fulfilled,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand:  repent 
ye,  and  believe  the  Gospel." 


The  day  of  the  Lord  has  come,  in  which  the  accom- 
plishment of  great  and  notable  things,  the  mighty  works 
of  God,  which  have  been  prophesied  of,  may  be  lawfully 
expected.  It  is  the  work  of  every  Christian  to  wait  upon 
the  Lord  in  the  light  of  this  day,  and  to  be  acquainted 
with  the  works  of  the  Lord,  both  inwardly  and  outwrardly ; 
for  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  a  day  of  power,  and  that  power 
of  God  worketh  wonderful  things;  and  if  we  are  not 
kept  in  the  light  of  that  day,  the  Lord  may  work  great 
things,  and  we  not  know  it.  If  we  wrould  be  faithful  wit- 
nesses, we  must  have  regard  to  the  works  of  the  Lord 
and  the  operations  of  his  hands. 

The  greatest  thing  we  have  to  expect  in  this  day  of 
the  Lord,  is,  that  God  will  set  up  the  kingdom  of  his 
Son  Christ  Jesus:  and  unto  this  all  the  prophets  did 
bear  witness  in  their  time,  and  now  it  is  our  turn  t( 
bear  witness  of  it,  by  sensible  and  living  experiences  of 
the  accomplishment  of  those  things  that  they  prophesied 
of,  that  the  Lord  will  set  up  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and 
bring  down  and  lay  waste  the  kingdom  of  Antichrist. 

That  which  chiefly  concerns  us  at  this  day,  is  to  behold 
the  kingdom  of  Christ,  the  eternal  Son  of  God,  within 
us,  to  go  forward  and  prosper;  and  the  kingdom  of 
Antichrist  suppressed  and  destroyed,  and  utterly  laid 
waste. 

It  is  our  duty  to  turn  our  minds  to  the  working  of 
the  power  of  God   in  ourselves,  and  to  see  that  other 


4 


THE    KINGDOM    OF    GOD  WITHIN. 


kingdom  of  the  man  of  sin  weakened  and  brought  down 
within  us;  then  there  is  no  fear  but  he  will  carry  on 
his  work  outwardly ;  but  the  great  matter  is  to  see  the 
kingdom  of  God  set  up  within  us,  which  stands  in 
holiness  and  righteousness ;  our  business  is  to  wait  till 
we  see  the  righteousness  of  this  kingdom  set  up  within 
us,  in  our  hearts  and  souls,  and  to  have  a  real  change 
made. 

We  all  know,  and  must  confess,  that  we  have  been 
subject  to  the  man  of  sin.  We  have  seen  the  reign 
and  government,  the  rage  and  tyranny  of  the  wicked 
one,  that  has  led  us  into  rebellion  and  disobedience  to 
the  Lord  our  Maker.  How  do  we  like  that  government, 
to  be  ruled  by  the  devil,  and  to  be  led  captive,  and  to  be 
made  to  do  his  will,  and  to  rebel  against  God  that  gave 
us  our  life,  and  breath,  and  being  ?  How  do  we  like  the 
government  of  Satan  ?  They  that  are  under  the  tyrannical 
government  of  Satan,' and  are  favored  to  see  their  condi- 
tion, have  many  cries  and  wishes  in  their  souls,  that  they 
were  freed  and  delivered  from  it,  and  brought  under 
the  government  and  obedience  of  Christ  Jesus ;  and  that 
they  were  able  to  serve  God  as  they  ought  to  do,  that 
they  might  be  translated  from  the  kingdom  of  sin  and 
Satan,  into  the  kingdom  of  the  blessed  and  dearly  be- 
loved Son  of  God. 

But  may  not  some  say,  how  shall  this  great  work  be 
wrought  ?  For  it  is  a  great  work,  and  we  verily  think 
that  nothing  but  an  Almighty  Power  can  effect  it.  For 
many  have  been  trying  to  no  purpose,  and  done  what 
they  could  in  their  own  strength,  to  deliver  their  own 
souls  from  death,  and  yet  they  find  themselves  in  bond- 
age still ;  nay,  they  have  called  in  the  help  and  assist- 
ance of  those  that  they  thought  to  be  stronger  than 
themselves,  and  all  have  failed,  and  they  are  yet  weak 
and  entangled,  and  they  cannot  find  themselves  at  liberty 
to  serve  the  Lord  as  they  ought  to  do. 

Nothing  but  the  Almighty  Power  of  God  can  do  it; 
and  when  we  have  come  to  experience,  and  know  this, 
then  we  will  seek  after  that,  and  will  come  to  this  profes- 
sion ;  if  the  Lord  puts  not  forth  his  Almighty  Power,  we 
must  perish,  for  there  is  no  other  power  can  deliver  us 


THE    KINGDOM    OF    GOD  WITHIN. 


0 


When  we  come  to  know  this,  —  what  must  we  do  ?  We 
must  wait  for  the  revelation  of  that  power  that  will 
take  us  off  from  all  trust  and  confidence  that  we  have 
ever  had  in  anything  else.  A  man  that  hath  nothing 
to  trust  to  but  the  power,  and  mercy,  and  goodness  of 
God,  puts  his  whole  trust  and  confidence  therein. 

Now,  if  there  was  but  a  willingness  in  every  one 
freely  to  give  up  himself  to  that  power  that  created  us, 
to  obey  bis  will,  there  is  not  a  man  or  woman  who 
would  long  be  without  the  knowledge  of  it.  If  we  are 
but  willing  to  be  subject  to  the  law  of  him  that  made 
us,  it  will  not  be  long  before  he  will  discover  it  to  us, 
and  reveal  his  power  in  us  in  the  glory  and  excellency 
of  it ;  that  power  which  is  more  able  to  preserve  us  than 
all  the  power  on  earth,  or  all  the  power  of  the  devil  to 
destroy  us. 

But  the  cry  of  flesh  and  blood  becomes  loud,  and  says: 
I  would  be  subject  to  God,  but  I  would  not  have  him 
cross  mine  interest,  and  deprive  me  of  that  I  love  and 
thirst  after;  I  would  not  have  him  imbitter  my  carnal 
delights  and  pleasure,  and  undo  me  as  to  my  reputation 
in  the  world. 

If  we  will  become  spiritual,  and  partake  of  spiritual 
blessings  and  benefits,  we  must  turn  from  all  kind  of  rea- 
sonings that  come  from  the  pit  of  darkness,  that  has  thus 
far  deceived  us,  and  will  ruin  us  forever,  if  we  hearken 
to  them.  New  gospel  terms  no  man  can  make ;  and  if 
any  come  to  preach  new  gospel  terms,  count  him  a  de- 
ceiver ;  for  there  is  no  possibility  of  being  a  disciple  of 
Christ,  but  by  taking  up  our  daily  cross,  and  denying 
ourselves,  and  following  him  as  our  leader  and  guide. 
To  him  we  must  go,  and  go  in  no  other  way,  speaking 
nothing,  and  doing  nothing  but  what  is  holy  and  pure ; 
he  must  conduct  us  in  our  walking,  guide  us  in  our  way, 
and  justify  us  in  it.  This  is  to  be  a  true  disciple  of 
Christ. 

When  a  man  comes  to  join  and  adhere  to  the  power 
of  God  revealed  in  his  soul,  he  sees  the  coming  of  the 
kingdom  of  God;  he  sees  it  at  a  distance ;  he  saith  within 
himself,  I  will  follow  my  captain ;  I  will  become  subject 
to  the  kingdom  of  Christ.    If  I  obey  this  divine  grace 


THE    KINGDOM    OF    GOD  WITHIN. 


which  came  by  Jesus  Christ,  I  shall  oe  his  disciple.  For 
as  many  q,s  are  led  by  the  fyririt  of  God,  are  the  children 
of  God.  I  am  not  to  propose  new  terms,  but  to  accept 
of  the  old  terms  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  For  it  is  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth. 
I  see  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  to  be  set  up,  and  the 
kingdom  of  the  devil  to  be  brought  down  in  me  ;  if  1 
follow  this  divine  leader,  I  shall  never  follow  the  devil 
more;  if  he  would  have  me  lie,  I  shall  refuse;  if  he 
would  have  me  run  into  vain  and  corrupt  communi- 
cation, and  foolish  jesting,  that  will  be  a  bridle  to  me, 
that  I  cannot  clo  it. 

We  speak  now  to  persons  that  live  under  the  light  of 
the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  are  subdued  by  his  grace ;  we 
would  speak  that  which  all  the  logic  in  the  world  cannot 
overthrow;  that  which  the  most  cunning  logician,  with  all 
his  wit  and  quirks,  cannot  refute  and  prove  erroneous. 
If  a  man  be  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  he  cannot  lie;  this 
is  a  common  cure  for  all  men ;  if  we  be  led  by  the  Spirit 
of  Truth,  and  hearken  to  the  principle  of  truth  in  our 
own  soul,  this  will  cure  and  heal  us  of  the  Avounds  and 
maladies  of  our  corrupt  nature,  and  set  us  at  liberty  from 
our  old  master. 

We  hope,  if  any  like  the  servitude  and  bondage  of  sin 
and  Satan,  they  will  desire  liberty,  before  they  die :  why 
not  desire  it  now  ?  It  may  be  they  think  to  enjoy  a 
little  liberty,  and  reputation,  and  pleasure  in  sin  for 
years,  and  then  break  off  from  it,  and  repent,  and  turn 
to  God  :  how  do  they  know  that  they  have  a  single  day 
to  live?  It  is  of  high  concernment  to  every  one  of  us 
to  wait  for  a  discovery  of  gospel  liberty,  and  an  ability 
and  power  in  his  soul,  to  enable  him  to  break  off  from 
the  servitude  and  bondage  of  sin  and  Satan,  that  he  hath 
so  long  lived  under;  and  to  wait  upon  God  with  pa- 
tience, for  the  setting  his  soul  at  liberty,  and  setting  up 
the  kingdom  of  Christ  within  him,  and  pulling  down  the 
kingdom  of  Satan,  that  he  may  be  brought  into  the  king- 
dom of  Christ,  that  consists  in  peace  and  righteousness, 
and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  These  are  the  things  that  fol- 
low one  another;  when  righteousness  is  set  up  in  us,  we 
shall  not  be  disturbed,  we  shall  have  peace  aud  joy,  and 


THE    KINGDOM    OF    <JuD    WITHIN.  7 

this  joy  is  in  the  Holy  Ghost :  u  For  the  grace  of  God  that 
bringeth  salvation  hath  appeared  to  all  men,  teaching  us 
that,  denying  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  we  should 
live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in  this  present  world; 
looking  for  that  blessecl  hope,  and  the  glorious  appearing 
of  the  great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  :  who  gave 
himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity, 
and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good 
works."— Tit.  ii.  11—14. 

Now,  that  all  might  be  persuaded  that  God  hath  given 
a  measure  of  his  grace  to  them,  let  them  consider  and  say 
within  themselves,  God  hath  not  shut  me  out  of  the  num- 
ber of  his  people :  he  hath  knocked  at  the  door  of  my 
heart,  to  bring  me  to  repentance ;  he  hath  waited  upon 
me  so  long,  surely  he  hath  a  mind  to  save  me. 

Some  will  say,  Where  is  the  power  ?  knocking  at  the 
door  of  the  heart,  and  checks  of  conscience,  we  under- 
stand ;  but  we  do  not  understand,  where  the  power  is,  by 
which  we  are  to  be  made  conformable  to  the  will  of  God. 

People  will  never  understand  it  while  they  are  in  the 
kingdom  of  Satan,  and  under  the  power  of  the  prince  of 
darkness :  the  Apostle  tells  us  that  the  God  of  this  world 
hath  blinded  the  minds  of  them  that  believe  not,  lest  the  light 
of  the  glorious  gospel  of  Christ,  ivho  is  the  image  of  God, 
should  shine  upon  them.  If  men  saw  the  beauty  of  the 
gospel,  they  would  run  after  it,  and  embrace  it ;  there- 
fore the  devil  blinds  their  minds,  that  they  should 
not  see  the  beauty  and  amiableness  of  the  gospel,  and 
like  the  terms  of  it;  he  hath  the  rule  and  government 
of  the  children  of  disobedience.  So  long  as  we  live  in 
subjection  to  that  power,  which  leads  into  sin,  we  shall  be 
6trangers  to  God's  power,  that  would  enable  us  to  break 
off  from  it. 

We  never  read  in  Scripture  of  any  that  ever  came  to 
be  saved  by  the  power  of  God,  but  through  faith :  "  For 
by  grace  are  ye^saved  through  faith  ;  and  that  not  of  your- 
selves ;  it  is  the  gift  of  God ;  not  of  works,  lest  any  man 
should  boast."  Our  Saviour  said  to  the  impotent  man, 
Thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole ;  thy  faith  joining  with 
that  power  of  God :  ice  shall  be  made  strong  in  the  Lord, 


S  THE    KINGDOM    OF    GOD  WITHIN. 

and  in  the  power  of  his  might,  and  be  able  to  withstand 
temptations. 

As  the  soul  of  man  joins  with  this  divine  grace,  lie 
doth  forsake  the  service  of  his  old  master;  sin  shall  no 
longer  have  dominion  over  him  ;  though  he  may  meet 
with  the  same  temptation,  it  shall  not  have  the  same 
power  over  him,  but  he  will  be  enabled  to  withstand  it, 
and  overcome  it.  If  you  ask  such  a  man,  how  it  is  that 
he  overcomes  that  temptation  that  formerly  prevailed 
over  him,  he  will  tell  you,  I  have  now  an  helper,  I  am 
now  joined  to  the  grace  of'  God  in  my  soul,  therefore  do 
I  withstand  temptations,  and  have  power  over  them. 
Thus  conies  the  kingdom  of  Christ  to  be  set  up  in  the 
soul,  and  this  is  that  which  will  fit  and  prepare  us  for  an 
inheritance  in  his  everlasting  kingdom.  They  that  wait 
upon  God,  shall  see  this  work  wrought  inwardly  in  them 
they  know  more  by  faith  than  by  sight. 

There  are  many  that  might  have  been  eminent  wit- 
nesses of  God  in'  this  world,  and  borne  their  testimony  to 
his  truth,  but  their  faith  hath  been  weak  and  ineffectual : 
they  have  discovered  their  unbelieving  hearts,  and  have 
joined  with  the  world,  because  they  thought  such  great 
things  could  never  be  done,  that  the  kingdom  of  Satan 
could  never  be  pulled  down  and  destroyed,  and  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  set  up  within  them;  but  we  hope  better 
things,  —  things  that  accompany  salvation  ;  and  that  he 
that  hath  begun  a  good  work  in  us,  will  carry  it  on  to 
perfection  ;  that  living  praises,  and  joyful  thanksgivings, 
may  be  rendered  to  him  who  alone  is  worthy,  who  is  God 
over  all,  blessed  forever,  to  whom  be  glory  and  dominion 
forever  and  ever.  Amen. 


Xo.  110. 


ON  LYING. 


"Deliver  my  soul,  0  Lord,  from  lying  hps,  and  from  a  deceitful  tongue." — 
Psalm  cxx.  2. 

"  The  getting  of  treasures  by  a  lying  tongue  is  a  vanity  tossed  to  and  fro  of  them 
that  seek  death."— Prov.  xxi.  6. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 


ON  LYING. 


Reader,  we  ask  thy  attention  for  a  few  moments  to 
consider  the  character  and  debasing  influence  of  this  ter- 
rible vice,  which  is  both  hateful  in  the  Divine  sight  and 
despicable  unto  men  —  despicable  unto  all  men,  even  to 
those  who  may  not  be  entirely  clear  of  it  themselves  in 
its  more  plausible,  and,  as  the  world  would  say,  more  ex- 
cusable forms. 

There  is  the  whole,  bold,  unblushing  lie,  that  usually 
calls  for  more  to  make  good  the  first.  Then  there  is  the 
partial  lie  —  the  keeping  back  a  part  of  the  truth  —  the 
equivocation  —  the  shuffling  to  conceal,  which  proceeds 
from  the  same  evil  spirit  as  the  first,  and  which,  we  fear, 
is  winked  at  in  others,  and  excused  in  themselves,  by 
men  claiming  to  be  honorable,  and  even  professing  to  be 
religious.  What,  in  reality,  is  thy  opinion  of  the  liar  — 
of  him  who  seeks  to  gain  an  advantage  over  thee  by 
equivocation,  by  double-dealing,  by  a  concealment  of  the 
truth,  or  that  resorts  to  misrepresentation  to  screen  his 
evil  deeds?  We  know  thy  confidence  in  him  must  be 
much  impaired ;  and,  however  much  thou  may  continue 
dealing  with  him  for  the  sake  of  gain,  still  thou  always 
resrards  him  as  one  that  needs  watching.  Well,  just  as 
thou  regards  him,  do  others  look  upon  thee,  when  thou 
yields  to  the  temptatioDs  of  the  father  of  lies,  and  falls 


LYING. 


3 


into  the  same  evil  ways.  And  though  thou  may  be  per- 
suaded by  this  enemy  of  thy  soul,  to  settle  down  in  the 
belief  that  thou  hast  so  nicely  covered  up  everything  as 
to  defy  the  scrutiny  of  thy  fellow-men,  be  not  deceived; 
he  whom  thou  hast  wronged  may  see  through  thy  strategy, 
and  will  form  his  opinion  accordingly.  But,  however  this 
may  be,  remember  there  is  One,  the  Lord  thy  Judge,  from 
whom  thou  canst  secrete  nothing.  And  suppose  thy  base- 
ness does  remain  forever  hidden  from  the  eye  of  man, 
what  dost  thou  gain  by  it?  —  or,  rather,  consider  for  one 
moment  what  thou  losest  by  it  —  nothing  less  than  the 
favor  of  God.  Thou  hast  planted  a  canker-worm  in  thy 
own  soul,  which,  if  suffered  to  live,  will  produce  its  own 
kind  in  abundance,  tending  to  eat  out  every  holy  thing 
within  thee ;  and  thou  wilt  in  time  be  surprised  even  at 
thyself,  to  see  how  composedly  thou  canst  misrepresent, 
and  feel  little  or  no  compunction  therefor.  And  thinkest 
ihou  to  screen  thy  guilt  from  the  eye  of  Omniscience  ? — 
from  Him  whose  all-searching  eye  penetrates  the  thickest 
covering,  and  looks  down  into  the  innermost  recesses  of 
(he  heart?  Yain  and  deluded  man!  art  thou  really  a  be- 
liever in  the  truths  of  Christ's  gospel,  or  only  a  professor? 
Has  a  man  that  will  lie  any  more  right  to  be  admitted 
into  respectable  society,  than  one  that  will  steal?  Does 
lie  who  "  lies  a  little  "  deserve  any  better  consideration  at 
the  hands  of  others,  than  he  who  steals  a  little — he  who 
equivocates,  than  he  who  takes  a  paper  of  pins  from  the 
^hop-counter  ?  We  shun  the  man  whose  body  is  covered 
with  a  loathsome  disease ;  how  much  more  should  we 
shun  him  whose  heart  is  made  loathsome  with  lies,  with 
equivocation,  with  deceit,  and  with  double-dealing.  The 
Psalmist,  in  his  professions  of  holiness  before  the  Lord, 
declares,  "He  that  telleth  a  lie  shall  not  tarry  in  my 
sight;"  and  he  calls  him  "blessed,"  who  "respecteth  not 
the  proud,  nor  such  as  turn  aside  to  lies."    But  he  who 


4 


ON  LYING. 


giveth  heed  to  false  lips,  is  himself  pronounced  a  "wicked 
doer." 

In  the  terrible  judgments  of  Babylon  told  us  by  Jere- 
miah, liars  are  specially  mentioned  as  being  under  the 
avenging  sword  of  the  Most  High ;  and  the  Apostle  Paul, 
in  his  First  Epistle  to  Timothy,  classes  these  among  the 
vilest  of  sinners,  in  that  he  says,  "  The  law  is  not  made 
for  a  righteous  man,  but  for  the  lawless  and  disobedient, 
for  the  ungodly  and  for  sinners,  for  unholy  and  profane, 
for  liars,  for  perjured  persons,"  etc.  Again,  St.  John  ex- 
pressly  declares  that  "all  liars  shall  have  their  portion  in 
the  lake  which  burneth  with  fire  and  brimstone." 

Liars  render  themselves  miserable ;  for,  although  they 
make  lies  their  refuge,  they  are  in  fear  lest  their  decep- 
tions be  discovered.  There  are  no  gradations  permitted 
in  the  scale  of  deceit  for  the  seeming  accommodation  of 
the  would-be- good ;  but  every  species  of  deception,  all 
prevarication,  all  hypocrisy,  all  lying  in  wait  to  deceive, 
as  well  as  the  flagrant  untruth  has  received  the  Divine 
seal  of  condemnation,  as  hateful  in  the  Lord's  holy  eye- 
sight :  "Lying  lips  are  abomination  to  the  Lord ;  but  they 
that  deal  truly  are  his  delight."  "  These  six  things  doth 
the  Lord  hate ;  yea,  seven  are  an  abomination  unto  him  — 
a  proud  look,  a  lying  tongue,  and  hands  that  shed  inno- 
cent blood;  an  heart  that  deviseth  wicked  imaginations; 
feet  that  be  swift  in  running  to  mischief ;  a  false  witness 
that  speaketh  lies;  and  he  that  soweth  discord  among 
brethren." 

Liars,  too,  so  long  at  least  as  a  sense  of  wrong  remains, 
are  troubled  with  a  feeling  of  shame  which  they  would 
gladly  shake  off,  but  camiot.  We  often  find  them  affect* 
ing  a  very  happy  and  independent  demeanor,  so  hard  do 
they  strive  to  rid  themselves  of  the  reproofs  of  conscience, 
and  to  appear  unto  men  to  be  honorable ;  but  their  shamo 
can  often  be  seen  and  read ;  their  very  countenances  pro- 


ON  LYING. 


5 


claim  their  guilt ;  the  mark  of  the  beast  is  on  their  fore- 
heads, and  cannot  be  obliterated  but  by  the  washing  of 
regeneration  ;  and,  although  every  deceiver  does  at  times 
feel  this,  yet  oftentimes  such  is  the  power  of  the  enemy 
over  him,  and  such  his  own  weakness,  that  he  still  believes 
himself  the  gainer,  he  remembers  not  the  query,  "What 
shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose 
his  own  soul ;"  but  he  stubbornly  persists  in  a  practice 
which  must  eventually  lead  to  the  chambers  of  death. 

It  has  sometimes  pleased  the  Almighty  to  visit  this 
heinous  sin  and  other  flagrant  violations  of  the  Divine 
law,  with  immediate  and  awful  punishment,  that  others 
may  be  the  more  effectually  warned  thereby.  The  case  of 
Annanias  and  Sapphira  was  a  memorable  instance  of  this 
kind  ;  but  it  does  not  stand  alone.  Since  their  day,  nume- 
rous well-authenticated  instances  have  occurred  where 
persons  have  been  cut  down  in  the  very  act  of  sin.  The 
bold  blasphemer  has  been  smitten  with  the  half-uttered 
oath  upon  his  lips ;  the  drunkard,  when  in  the  very  act 
of  lifting  up  the  intoxicating  cup ;  and  the  liar,  when 
solemnly  calling  heaven  to  witness  the  truth  of  his  false- 
hood !  Men,  who  are  liable  to  die  at  any  moment,  should 
not  for  a  moment  indulge  in  sin,  lest  that  moment  should 
be  their  last:  "Because  there  is  wrath,  beware,  lest  He 
take  thee  away  with  his  stroke ;  then  a  great  ransom  can- 
not deliver  thee."  Job  xxxvi.  18. 

On  the  Market  Hall,  at  Devizes,  England,  may  be  seen 
the  following  inscription  :  "  The  mayor  and  corporation  of 
Devizes  avail  themselves  of  the  stability  of  this  building 
to  transmit  to  future  times  the  record  of  an  awful  event 
v  hich  occined,  in  this  market-place,  in  the  year  1753, 
Hoping  that  such  a  record  may  serve  as  a  salutary  warning 
against  the  danger  of  invoking  the  divine  vengeance,  or 
of  calling  on  the  holy  Name  to  conceal  the  devices  of 
falsehood  and  fraud.    On  Thursday,  the  25th  of  January, 


<5 


OX  LYING. 


1 753,  Euth  Pierce,  of  Pottern,  in  this  county,  agreed  with 
three  other  women  to  buy  a  sack  of  wheat  in  the  market, 
each  paying  her  due  proportion  towards  the  same.  One 
of  these  women,  in  collecting  the  several  quotas  of  money, 
discovered  a  deficiency,  and  demanded  of  Euth  Pierce  the 
sum  which  was  wanting  to  make  good  the  amount.  Euth 
Pierce  protested  that  she  had  paid  her  share,  and  said 
"she  wished  she  might  drop  down  dead  if  she  had  not!" 
She  rashly  repeated  this  awful  wish,  when,  to  the  conster- 
nation of  the  surrounding  multitude,  she  instantly  fell 
down  and  expired,  having  the  money  concealed  in  her 
hand !" 

"  A  poor  woman  in  the  work-house  at  Milborne  Port, ' 
England,  being  once  charged  with  having  stolen  some 
trivial  article,  which  was  missing,  wished  the  Almighty 
might  strike  her  dumb,  blind,  and  dead,  if  she  knew  any- 
thing of  it.  About  six  o'clock  she  ate  her  supper  as  well 
as  usual, — soon  after,  her  speech  faltered,  her  eyes  closed, 
and  before  seven  she  was  a  breathless  corpse,  without  any 
apparent  cause."  • 

A  correspondent  of  the  London  Pulpit  gives  the  follow- 
ing incident,  which  was  well  authenticated :  "  A  young 
girl,  residing  at  Exeter,  was  accused  by  her  mother  of 
having  stolen  a  silver  spoon.  She  repeatedly  denied  the 
charge  as  often  as  it  was  reiterated,  but  her  mother,  still 
pressing  it  upon  her,  the  poor  girl,  hoping  to  silence  all 
future  accusation,  exclaimed,  in  a  solemn  manner:  'May 
God  strike  me  dead  if  I  have  the  spoon ! '  The  Almighty 
heard  her.  Judgment  came  —  she  fell  dead  upon  the  spot. 
On  examining  her  clothes  afterwards,  the  spoon  was  found 
concealed  on  her  person.' 

*  A.  magistrate  of  Hitchin,  England,  was  once  waiteu  on 
by  a  man  who  told  him  he  had  been  stopped  by  a  certain 
young  gentleman  in  Hitchin,  who  had  knocked  him  down 
and  searched  his  pockets ;  but  not  finding  anything,  he 


ON    LYING,  7 

had  suffered  him  to  depart.  The  magistrate  astonished  at 
this  intelligence,  despatched  a  messenger  to  the  young  gen- 
tleman, ordering  him  to  appear  immediately,  and  answer 
to  the  charge.  The  youth  obeyed  the  summons  accom- 
panied by  his  guardian  and  an  intimate  friend.  Upon 
their  arrival  at  the  seat  of  justice,  the  accused  and  the 
accuser  were  confronted;  when  the  magistrate  hinted  to 
the  man  that  he  was  afraid  he  had  made  the  charge  with 
no  other  view  than  that  of  extorting  money,  and  bade 
him  take  care  how  he  proceeded  ;  exhorting  him,  in  the 
most  earnest  and  pathetic  manner,  to  beware  of  the  dread- 
ful train  of  consequences  attending  perjury.  The  man 
insisted  upon  making  oath  to  what  he  had  advanced ;  the 
oath  was  accordingly  administered,  and  the  business  fully 
investigated,  when  the  innocence  of  the  young  gentleman 
was  established,  by  the  most  incontrovertable  evidence. 
The  infamous  wretch,  finding  his  intention  thus  frustrated, 
returned  home  much  chagrined ;  and  meeting  soon  after- 
wards with  one  of  his  neighbors,  he  declared  he  had  not 
sworn  to  anything  but  the  truth,  calling  the  Almighty  to 
witness  the  same  in  a  most  solemn  manner,  and  wished, 
if  it  was  not  as  he  said,  his  jaws  might  be  locked,  and 
that  his  flesh  might  rot  on  his  bones  —  when,  terrible  to 
relate,  his  jaws  were  instantly  arrested,  and  he  was  de- 
prived of  the  use  of  the  faculty  he  had  so  awfully  perverted ! 
After  lingering  nearly  a  fortnight,  he  expired  in  the  great 
est  agonies,  his  flesh  literally  rotting  upon  his  bones." 

The  following  circumstances  occurred  to  Archbishop 
Leighton.  One  day,  while  on  his  way  from  Glasgow  to 
Dumblane,  there  happened  a  violent  storm  accompanied 
with  thunder ;  he  was  '  bserved,  when  at  a  considerable 
distance,  by  two  men  of  bad  character.  They  had  uob 
courage  to  rob  him ;  bat  wishing  to  fall  on  some  method 
to  extort  money  from  him,  one  said :  "  I  will  lie  down  by 
the  way-side  as  if  I  were  dead,  and  you  shall  inform  the 


8 


ON  LYING. 


archbishop  that  I  was  killed  by  the  lightning,  and  beg 
noney  of  him  to  bury  me."  When  the  archbishop  arrived 
at  the  spot,  the  wicked  wretch  told  the  fabricated  story. 
The  archbishop  sympathized  with  the  survivor,  gave  him 
money,  and  was  about  to  proceed  on  hi$  journey.  But, 
when  the  man  returned  to  his  companion,  he  found  hirn 
really  lifeless !  Immediately  he  began  to  exclaim  aloud 
"  Oh,  sir,  he  is  dead !  Oh,  sir,  he  is  dead  ! "  On  this,  the 
archbishop,  discovering  the  fraud,  left  the  man  with  this 
important  reflection :  "  It  is  a  dangerous  thing  to  trifle 
with  Omnipotence ! " 

We  are  enjoined  by  the  dear  Son  of  God,  to  let  our 
yea  be  yea,  and  our  nay,  nay ;  for,  saith  he,  "  whatso- 
ever is  more  than  this  cometh  of  evil."  He  who,  from  a 
sincere  love  to  God,  and  from  a  fear  of  offending  him, 
keeps  a  constant  watch  at  the  door  of  his  lips,  that  nothing 
may  escape  him  but  that  which  is  truthful  and  pure,  has 
the  Lord  for  his  helper,  and  through  him  will  be  enabled 
to  withstand  the  temptations  of  the  Deceiver  of  souls. 
Such,  holding  fast  their  integrity  to  the  end,  will  be 
granted  an  inheritance  into  "  that  city  which  hath  no  need 
of  the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon  to  shine  in  it,  for  the  glory 
of  God  doth  lighten  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof; 
and  there  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  it  anything  that  de- 
fileth,  neither  whatsoever  worketh  abomination,  or  maketh 
a  lie ;  but  they  which  are  written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of 
Life :  Blessed  are  they  that  do  his  commandments,  that 
they  may  have  a  right  to  the  Tree  of  Life,  and  may  enter 
in  through  the  gates  into  the  city." 


No.  Ill 

SHORT  ACCOUNT 

OF  THE 

LAST  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH 

OF 

HELEN  BRICK 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1890. 


Last  Illness  and  Death  of 
Helen  Brick. 


The  following  account  of  Helen  Brick*  who  died  in 
Philadelphia  the  12th  of  Second  Month,  1847,  in  the 
21st  year  of  her  age,  has  been  preserved  by  her  family 
and  a  friend  who  visited  her  several  times  in  her  sick- 
ness : 

On  the  20th  of  Sixth  Month,  1846,  Helen  Brick  was 
attacked  with  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs :  her  disease  at 
first  did  not  appear  to  others  to  be  alarming,  but  she 
seemed  impressed  with  the  belief  she  should  not  recover. 
From  the  first  of  her  confinement  to  the  house,  there 
was  a  marked  change  in  her  manners  and  conversation ; 
and  her  mind  was  fully  awakened  to  the  awfulness  of 
her  situation.  Her  reading  was  confined  entirely  to 
serious  works,  and  the  Bible  was  perused  with  the 
greatest  attention.  Although  it  was  apparent  her  mind 
was  much  exercised,  she  never  mentioned  it  to  any  one 
until  about  two  months  before  her  death.  It  was  ob- 
served one  day  she  was  very  much  agitated,  but  did  not 
say  anything  until  all  had  left  the  room  but  her  mother 
and  sister, — the  former  then  desired  her  to  tell  her 
the  cause  of  her  distress,  and  perhaps  she  could  do 
something  to  relieve  her: — She  replied,  "  that  no  one 
could  help  her,  she  felt  herself  a  great  sinner,  and 
had  lived  too  much  without  God  in  the  world."  Her 
mother  spoke  of  his  mercy  and  kindness  to  his  erring 

*She  was  not  a  member  of  the  religious  Society  of  Friends. 


LAST  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  OF  HELEN  BRICK.  3 

creatures,  and  asked  her  if  she  did  not  know  where 
to  apply  for  aid?  She  said  she  did,  but  that  she  had 
lived  so  long  without  God,  she  was  afraid  He  would 
not  now  listen  to  her.  On  the  2nd  of  Second  Month 
she  expressed  a  desire  to  see  our  late  friend,  Elizabeth 
Evans,  who  was  accordingly  sent  for.  Soon  after  she 
came  and  sat  down  by  her,  Helen  remarked :  "  I  know 
thee  cannot  do  the  work  for  me,  as  I  once  heard  thee 
say  to  a  young  friend  of  mine  who  was  near  his  end, 
that  the  work  of  salvation  must  be  wrought  out  between 
God  and  our  own  souls ;  that  no  man  can  save  his 
brother,  or  give  unto  God  a  ransom  for  him ! — but,  I 
felt  a  desire  to  see  thee,  that  I  might  converse  a  little 
with  thee. 

"I  am  aware  that  I  have  not  long  to  live, — but  I 
feel  no  evidence  of  acceptance  with  my  Heavenly 
Father; — Oh,  I  feel  such  a  load  upon  me?  I  some- 
times feel  awful,  and  am  afraid  I  can  never  be  accepted 
of  God." 

It  was  remarked  to  her,  "  Thou  belie  vest  in  a  future 
state  of  rewards  and  punishments,  then,  dost  thou?" 
"  Yes,"  she  replied,  "  most  fully ;  I  believe  in  all  the 
truths  of  the  gospel ;  but  oh,  I  have  not  lived  up  to 
them;  can  my  soul  be  made  fit  for  the  purity  of 
heaven  ?"  She  was  asked  whether  there  was  any  par- 
ticular sin  or  burden  which  oppressed  her;  after  pausing 
a  little  while,  she  said  :  "  I  cannot  particularize ;  all  my 
life  seems  to  have  been  spent  in  vanity, — yes,  vanity  ! 
I  have  done  nothing  for  my  Heavenly  Father ;  nothing 
to  glorify  Him ;  and  now  I  am  afraid  it  is  too  late  : — 
think  He  will  cast  me  off?" 

One  of  her  connections  remarked  : — "  Helen  has 
always  been  very  upright  and  innocent,  perhaps  no 
one  of  her  family  more  so."  She  quickly  replied, 
"  that  is  not  deep  enough  for  salvation ;  there  is  noth- 


4 


LAST  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  OF 


ing  but  the  power  of  God,  and  his  grace  and  forgive- 
ness, that  can  give  me  an  entrance  into  the  kingdom 
of  rest;  Oh,  if  I  had  only  begun  earlier!"  After  con- 
siderable more  conversation,  her  friend  encouraged  her 
to  make  diligent  use  of  all  her  time,  in  striving  and 
praying,  to  be  made  fit  for  the  great  change,  saying 
that  it  was  a  sure  evidence  her  Saviour  had  not  cast 
her  off,  or  she  would  not  have  such  a  sense  of  her  state, 
nor  feel  so  desirous  to  be  made  fit  to  meet  Him. 

After  a  season  of  solemnity,  the  friend  knelt  and# 
prayed  fervently  for  the  poor,  dear  suffering  invalid, 
and  also  that  this  dispensation  might  be  sanctified  to 
those  round  about  her.  It  was  a  solemn  opportunity, 
— she  became  much  more  calm  and  quiet,  and  ex- 
pressed much  gratitude  for  the  visit.  The  friend  took 
leave  of  her  under  the  full  persuasion  that  this  dear 
child  was  not  suffering  altogether  on  her  own  account, 
but  for  some  of  her  near  connections,  believing  assuredly 
that  the  Lord  was  making  use  of  this  means,  as  another 
offer  in  mercy  to  them. 

About  ten  days  after  this  she  sent  for  the  same  friend 
again ;  continuing  much  distressed  in  her  mind,  and 
told  her  she  had  prayed  earnestly  day  and  night,  but 
could  obtain  no  answer,  nor  evidence  of  acceptance: 
— her  friend  asked  her  if  she  could  not  look  back  and 
remember  when  her  Redeemer  had  knocked  at  the 
door  of  her  heart  for  admission,  when  she  was  unwill- 
ing to  let  Him  in  to  take  possession,  and  when  He  had 
also  checked  her  by  his  Spirit,  when  she  was  about 
engaging  in  the  vanities  and  follies  of  the  world? 
"  Yes,"  she  replied,  with  great  solemnity,  "  many, 
many  times  !"  The  friend  then  remarked,  thou  must 
not  think  it  hard  if  thy  requests  are  not  granted  at 
once,  but  continue  to  plead,  for  I  believe  He  will  yet 
lift  up  the  light  of  his  countenance  upon  thee. 


HELEN  BRICK. 


5 


After  considerable  pause  she  said :  a  I  told  th>ee  the 
other  day  that  I  could  not  particularize  any  of  my  sins, 
but  I  must  now  tell  thee,  that  I  feel  condemnation  for 
having  spent  so  much  time  in  learning  and  indulging 
in  music ; — Oh,  if  I  had  only  been  as  earnestly  engaged 
in  preparing  and  tuning  my  soul  for  the  heavenly 
harmony."  She  then  begged  those  around  her  not  to 
put  off  the  great  work  of  salvation  to  a  death-bed. 

It  was  her  fervent  prayer  that  she  might  be  made 
fit  to  die,  and  that  if  she  was  not  too  unworthy,  an 
evidence  of  acceptance  might  be  granted  before  her 
departure,  for  the  consolation  of  her  family ;  and  also 
craved  that  patience  and  humility  might  be  given  her 
to  wait  the  Lord's  time  for  granting  her  request.  She 
would  often  say,  she  was  afraid  that  if  her  suffering  in- 
creased, she  would  not  be  able  to  bear  it  patiently ;  but 
from  the  first,  she  was  most  mercifully  enabled  to 
endure;  we  never  once  during  her  illness  heard  her 
murmur,  or  express  a  wish  to  be  restored  to  health. 
One  night  after  she  had  been  coughing  a  long  time, 
and  was  much  exhausted,  her  mother  said  she  wished 
it  was  in  her  power  to  suffer  for  her ;  "  That  would 
not  do,  mother ;  I  know  I  must  suffer ;  and  when  I  re- 
member what  my  Saviour  suffered  for  me,  I  am  willing 
to  bear  it  all."  We  remarked  one  day  that  she  was 
unusually  depressed ;  she  told  us  the  next  day  that  she 
had  suffered  more  the  day  before  than  she  could  ex- 
press, but  that  she  had  been  consoled,  for  she  seemed 
to  hear  a  voice  saying  to  her,  "  bear  up,  bear  up," — 
her  mind  was  then  relieved,  and  she  recovered  her 
usual  calmness. 

It  was  cause  of  thankfulness  to  her,  she  said,  that 
she  had  never  taken  her  Maker's  name  in  vain,  nor 
ridiculed  religion  nor  religious  persons,  but  had  always 
felt  a  respect  for  them. 


6 


LAST  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  OF 


She  several  times  spoke  of  the  wonderful  mercy 
which  God  had  shown  to  her  in  preserving  her  life, 
which  had  twice  heen  in  imminent  danger,  and  said 
that,  at  the  time,  she  did  not  appreciate  it,  hut  that 
now  she  felt  how  merciful  He  had  been  in  not  permit- 
ting her  to  die  unprepared  : — now,  she  said,  she  dared 
not  ask  for  life,  only  for  salvation. 

Her  father  once  remarked  to  her  she  was  surrounded 
by  comforts  and  kind  friends,  who  were  desirious  to 
do  everything  in  their  power  for  her.  "  I  know  it," 
she  said,  "and  feel  grateful  for  it;"  and  then  added, 
with  great  solemnity,  "  but  that  will  not  save  my  soul." 
One  day  after  having  laid  quietly  for  some  time,  she 
looked  up  and  said,  "  how  wonderful  is  the  plan  of 
redemption !"  One  evening  about  two  weeks  before 
her  death,  she  said  to  her  sister,  "  I  felt  so  strangely 
yesterday,  just  at  twilight,  every  thing  looked  so  bright, 
and  I  felt  so  perfectly  happy  for  one  hour  or  more, 
that  I  seemed  as  if  I  were  already  in  heaven ;" — a 
week  after,  she  told  her  mother  that  the  night  she  had 
just  passed  had  paid  her  for  all  the  sufferings  she 
had  undergone.  She  told  us  "  she  now  believed,  that 
if  she  should  be  raised  up  again,  it  would  be  her  duty 
to  dress  plain,  as  she  now  saw  that  pure  religion  led 
into  great  simplicity  in  all  things;"  and  also  asked  her 
mother  if  she  thought  she  would  be  strengthened  to 
do  it ;  and  was  answered,  she  believed  she  would.  A 
few  nights  afterward,  she  dreamed  that  she  had  been 
permitted  to  live  just  long  enough  to  have  her  strength 
tested,  that  she  had  appeared  in  a  plain  simple  garb, 
and  was  very  happy  whilst  wearing  it. 

She  seemed  much  to  fear  she  would  not  bear  her  in- 
creased sufferings,  and  the  closing  scene,  as  she  ought, 
but  she  was  mercifully  favored  in  this  respect,  for  the 
morning  previous  to  her  death,  she  told  us  that  she  could 


HELEN  BRICK. 


7 


now  pass  through  the  valley  and  shadow  of  death,  and 
"  fear  no  evil;"  that  she  had  something  like  a  vision  or 
sense  of  heaven ;  that  she  found  herself  walking  close 
hy  the  side  of  her  Saviour,  that  she  wras  permitted  to 
know  him,  and  that  He  looked  upon  her  in  a  most 
benign  manner,  and  that  she  felt  entirely  calm.  She 
looked  upon  her  father  and  said,  "  I  have  had  a  hard 
struggle  to  find  my  Saviour."  He  said,  "  but  thou 
hast  found  Him,  I  trust."  "  Yes,"  she  said,  "I  de- 
termined not  to  cease  the  struggle  but  with  life." 

She  was  now  so  entirely  released  from  all  agitation 
or  anxiety,  and  so  free  from  suffering  of  body,  that  she 
could  not  realize  that  the  hand  of  death  was  then  upon 
her,  though  the  family  were  all  collected  round  watch- 
ing for  the  parting  moment.  She  continued  in  this 
state  for  seven  hours.  About  five  hours  before  her  de- 
parture, seeing  her  family  weeping,  she  asked  the 
cause  of  it ;  her  mother  told  her  we  were  weeping  on 
her  account.  She  then  said,  "  I  do  not  suffer ;  I  am 
released  from  all  pain;  why  do  you  weep?"  After 
lying  still  for  some  time,  she  turned  to  her  eldest  sister 
and  said:  "  Caroline,  am  I  going?"  She  told  her  we 
believed  so.  She  then  said,  "  do  not  weep  for  me, 
pray  for  me."  She  then  spoke  to  her  father  and 
mother,  sisters  and  brother,  separately ; — warned  them 
not  to  leave  repentance,  and  the  soul's  salvation,  to  a 
death-bed; — took  a  final  leave  of  her  grandmother 
and  aunts ; — to  her  eldest  sister,  who  clung  to  her,  she 
said :  "  Caroline,  we  have  spent  a  great  deal  of  time 
together  on  earth,  let  us  spend  eternity  together  in 
heaven."* 

About  two  hours  before  her  close,  her  friends  in- 
formed their  friend  E.  E.,  that  Helen  was  sinking  very 

*  This  sister  has  since  deceased.  We  understand  she  made  a  peaceful 
close. 


8  LAST  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  OF  HELEN  BRICK. 

fast;  she  accordingly  went  at  once  to  see  her  for  the 
last  time.  As  she  approached  the  bed,  the  dear  lamb 
looked  up  with  a  sweet  composure  on  her  countenance, 
and  said :  "I  am  going !  I  am  going !  but  there  is  hope 
ahead  now  !  hope  ahead  !  like  a  little  star  guiding  me 
onward  : — I  feel  very  calm." 

A  few  minutes  before  the  vital  spark  fled,  she  seemed 
to  be  engaged  in  prayer,  and  from  the  expression  of 
lier  countenance,  it  seemed  to  those  around  her,  as  if 
the  glories  of  heaven  were  already  revealed.  She  then 
raised  one  of  her  hands  over  her  face  for  a  minute, 
then  gently  laid  it  down  again,  and  sweetly  sank  to  her 
everlasting  rest,  as  we  have  good  reason  to  believe, 
through  the  adorable  mercy  of  her  crucified  but  risen 
Lord,  who  testified,  "Whosoever  cometh  to  me,  I  will 
in  no  wise  cast  oflf,"  But  let  none  presume,  remem- 
bering that  we  cannot  turn,  or  come  to  Him,  when  we 
please ;  it  is  only  as  we  co-operate  with  his  grace,  and 
the  offers  of  mercy,  at  the  time  we  feel  Him  to  be 
near,  calling  and  warning  and  wooing  us ;  we  must  not 
dare  to  choose  our  own  time  and  way,  but  be  willing 
to  be  accounted  fools  for  his  blessed  name's  sake,  and 
despising  the  shame  for  the  hope  that  is  set  before  us. 

Oh,  what  is  there  in  this  world  worthy  to  be  put  in 
competition  with  a  well-grounded  hope  in  a  dying 
hour,  that  our  peace  is  made  with  God  ?  or  what  will 
not  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul's  peace  at 
such  an  hour? 


No.  112. 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  JOY. 


There  is  a  peace  and  a  joy  "  which  passeth  all  understand- 
ing:"— "  which  the  world  can  neither  give  nor  take  away." 
It  dwells  with  the  pure  in  heart — with  the  meek  and  lowly 
followers  of  a  crucified  and  risen  Lord — with  "  those  who,  by 
patient  continuance  in  well-doing,  seek  for  glory,  and  honor, 
and  immortality."  It  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  halls  of  revelry, 
nor  in  the  pomp  of  earth  :  they  are  transient,  it  is  eternal ;  they 
are  earthly,  it  is  heavenly — a  joy  that  overleaps  the  barriers  of 
time,  and  looks  beyond  the  confines  of  the  tomb,  into  the  rest 
prepared  for  the  people  of  God.  The  discord  of  earth  may 
not  mar  its  harmony,  nor  the  storms  of  time  tarnish  its 
brightness. 

He  who  has  yielded  in  child-like  faith  and  simple  obedience 
to  the  requirements  of  his  Heavenly  Father,  as  made  known 
in  the  secret  of  the  heart,  can  testify  to  the  preciousness  of  this 
joy :  and  ihough  his  dedication  may  cost  him  the  smiles  of  the 
world,  yet,  conscious  that  he  has  in  their  place,  the  approving 
smile  of  Him  who  rules  the  universe,  with  his  face  heavenward 
he  presses  on,  counting  all  as  naught  and  dross,  that  he  might 
win  Christ. 

What  to  us  in  a  few  short  years,  will  be  those  vanities 
in  which  we  now  delight  ? — When  that  solemn  moment  arrives 
wherein  we  must  yield  up  all  that  we  fondly  cherish  here — 
when  "  this  mortal  must  put  on  immortality,  and  this  corrupti- 
ble must  put  on  incorruption" — what  will  anything  avail  us, 
that  fails  to  alleviate  the  anguish  of  a  soul  just  entering  unpre- 
pared into  an  awful  eternity  ? — What  but  religion,  what  but 
true  experimental  Christianity,  what  but  the  soul  sustaining 


2 


THE    CHRISTIAN'S  JOY. 


peace  and  animating  joy  of  the  regenerated  believer,  can  rob 
death  of  its  sting,  or  the  grave  of  its  victory  ? 

And  what  hinders  us  from  becoming  partakers  of  this  joy 
— this  "  peace  which  passeth  all  understanding,"  and  with 
which  the  stranger  may  not  intermeddle  ?  What  retards  the 
flow  of  this  holy  peace,  and  shuts  out  the  smiles  of  the  Prince 
thereof?  Is  it  not  the  world,  "the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of 
the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life?"  Is  it  not  that  the  things  of 
time  and  sense  have  stolen  our  affections,  and  the  ardor  of  our 
souls  is  lost  in  the  pursuit  of  worldly  vanities?  Remember, 
it  is  in  proportion  to  our  obedience  and  dedication,  our  obedi- 
ence to  the  dictates  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  heart,  that  we 
can  become  partakers  of  the  Christian's  joy, — only  as  our  will 
is  brought  into  conformity  to  the  will  of  our  Father  in  heaven, 
that  we  can  realize  the  truth  of  the  declaration,  "  Thou  wilt 
keep  in  him  perfect  peace,  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  Thee,  be- 
cause he  trusteth  in  Thee." 

Surely  we  have  every  inducement  to  close  in  -with  the  offers 
of  redeeming  love  and  mercy,  and,  "forgetting  the  things 
which  are  behind,  press  forward  towards  the  mark  for  the  prize 
of  the  high  calling  of  God,  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  We 
have  an  unerring  witness  in  our  own  hearts;  we  have  the 
testimonies  of  thousands  who  have  gone  before  us,  to  the  all- 
sufficiency  of  that  power  of  Divine  Grace,  which,  would  Ave 
but  yield  thereto,  would  guide  us  into  all  truth.  And,  more 
than  all,  we  have  a  Saviour,  wdiose  mercy  is  unfathomable,  and, 
"  who  willeth  not  the  death  of  any,  but  that  all  should  return, 
repent,  and  live."  The  way  is  plain,  and  though  narrow,  and 
appearing  hard  to  be  trodden,  by  the  unregenerate,  it  is  easy  to 
the  true  disciple,  and  is  the  only  one  to  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
— none  can  enter  by  any  other.  Rise  up,  then,  and  shake  thy- 
self from  the  dust  of  the  earth — cast  behind  thee  all  hindering 
things  —seek  to  know  a  reconciliation  with  Him  who  judgeth 
righteously,  and  by  a  close  attention  to  the  unflattering  moni- 
tor, the  witness  for  truth  in  thy  heart,  and  an  increase  in 
faithfulness  and  dedication,  realize  for  thyself  the  unspeakable 
joy  of  the  Christian's  hope. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia, 


No.  112. 


THE  CHRISTIAN'S  JOY. 


There  is  a  peace  and  a  joy  "  which  passeth  all  understand- 
ing:"— "  which  the  world  can  neither  give  nor  take  away." 
It  dwells  with  the  pure  in  heart — with  the  meek  and  lowly 
followers  of  a  crucified  and  risen  Lord — with  "  those  who,  by- 
patient  continuance  in  well-doing,  seek  for  glory,  and  honor, 
and  immortality."  It  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  halls  of  revelry, 
nor  in  the  pomp  of  earth  :  they  are  transient,  it  is  eternal ;  they 
are  earthly,  it  is  heavenly — a  joy  that  overleaps  the  barriers  of 
time,  and  looks  beyond  the  confines  of  the  tomb,  into  the  rest 
prepared  for  the  people  of  God.  The  discord  of  earth  may 
not  mar  its  harmony,  nor  the  storms  of  time  taruish  its 
brightness. 

He  who  has  yielded  in  child-like  faith  and  simple  obedience 
to  the  requirements  of  his  Heavenly  Father,  as  made  known 
in  the  secret  of  the  heart,  can  testify  to  the  preciousness  of  this 
joy :  and  though  his  dedication  may  cost  him  the  smiles  of  the 
world,  yet,  conscious  that  he  has  in  their  place,  the  approving 
smile  of  Him  who  rules  the  universe,  with  his  face  heavenward 
he  presses  on,  counting  all  as  naught  and  dross,  that  he  might 
win  Christ. 

What  to  us  in  a  few  short  years,  will  be  those  vanities 
in  which  we  now  delight  ? — When  that  solemn  moment  arrives 
wherein  we  must  yield  up  all  that  we  fondly  cherish  here — 
when  "  this  mortal  must  put  on  immortality,  and  this  corrupti- 
ble must  put  on  incorruption" — what  will  anything  avail  us, 
that  fails  to  alleviate  the  anguish  of  a  soul  just  entering  unpre- 
pared into  an  awful  eternity  ? — What  but  religion,  what  but 
true  experimental  Christianity,  what  but  the  soul  sustaining 


2 


THE    CHRISTIAN'S  JOY. 


peace  and  animating  joy  of  the  regenerated  believer,  can  rob 
death  of  its  sting,  or  the  grave  of  its  victory  ? 

And  what  hinders  us  from  becoming  partakers  of  this  joy 
— this  "  peace  which  passeth  all  understanding,"  and  with 
which  the  stranger  may  not  intermeddle  ?  What  retards  the 
flow  of  this  holy  peace,  and  shuts  out  the  smiles  of  the  Prince 
thereof?  Is  it  not  the  world,  "the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of 
the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life  ?"  Is  it-  not  that  the  things  of 
time  and  sense  have  stolen  our  affections,  and  the  ardor  of  our 
souls  is  lost  in  the  pursuit  of  worldly  vanities?  Remember, 
it  is  in  proportion  to  our  obedience  and  dedication,  our  obedi- 
ence to  the  dictates  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  heart,  that  we 
can  become  partakers  of  the  Christian's  joy, — only  as  our  will 
is  brought  into  conformity  to  the  will  of  our  Father  in  heaven, 
that  we  can  realize  the  truth  of  the  declaration,  "  Thou  wilt 
keep  in  him  perfect  peace,  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  Thee,  be- 
cause he  trusteth  in  Thee." 

Surely  we  have  every  inducement  to  close  in  with  the  offers 
of  redeeming  love  and  mercy,  and,  "forgetting  the  things 
which  are  behind,  press  forward  towards  the  mark  for  the  prize 
of  the  high  calling;  of  God,  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  We 
have  an  unerring  witness  in  our  own  hearts;  we  have  the 
testimonies  of  thousands  who  have  gone  before  us,  to  the  all- 
sufficiency  of  that  power  of  Divine  Grace,  which,  would  we 
but  yield  thereto,  would  guide  us  into  all  truth.  And,  more 
than  all,  we  have  a  Saviour,  whose  mercy  is  unfathomable,  and, 
"  who  willeth  not  the  death  of  any,  but  that  all  should  return, 
repent,  and  live."  The  wTay  is  plain,  and  though  narrow,  and 
appearing  hard  to  be  trodden,  by  the  unregenerate,  it  is  easy  to 
the  true  disciple,  and  is  the  only  one  to  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven 
— none  can  enter  by  any  other.  Rise  up,  then,  and  shake  thy- 
self from  the  dust  of  the  earth — cast  behind  thee  all  hindering 
things  —seek  to  know  a  reconciliation  with  Him  who  judgeth 
righteously,  and  by  a  close  attention  to  the  unflattering  moni- 
tor, the  witness  for  truth  in  thy  heart,  and  an  increase  in 
faithfulness  and  dedication,  realize  for  thyself  the  unspeakable 
joy  of  the  Christian's  hope. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No,  304  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia. 


No.  113, 

THE 


Power  of  Divine  Grace 


AS  MANIFESTED  IN  THE 


Life  of  William  chapman. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 


THE  POWER  OF  DIVINE  GRACE. 


WILLIAM  CHAPMAN  was  a  native  of  Darlington, 
and,  when  a  boy,  was  a  pupil  at  one  of  the  schools 
in  that  town ;  after  which  he  followed  the  occupation 
of  a  tailor.  He  was  a  youth  of  excellent  abilities, 
and  of  a  kind,  good-natured,  and  cheerful  disposition, 
which,  while  it  won  for  him  the  regard  of  his  com- 
panions, rendered  him  an  easy  prey  to  the  seductions 
of  evil  association ;  and  it  appears  that  he  had  imbibed 
a  taste  for  strong  drink,  and  an  inclination  towards  in- 
fidelity, previous  to  going  to  London  in  search  of  em- 
ployment. 

It  was  during  his  residence  in  that  city  that  he  became 
confirmed  in  those  habits  and  principles  which  occa- 
sioned him  such  bitter  repentance  on  a  dying  bed. 
After  his  return  home,  he  continued  his  course  of  in- 
temperance, and  became  the  daring  advocate  of  infidelity, 
until  the  summer  of  1843,  when  he  was  seized,  whilst  in 
a  public-house,  with  hemorrhage  from  the  lungs,  fron? 
the  effects  of  which  he  never  recovered.  It  was  whilst 
laboring  under  the  weakness  consequent  upon  this  at 
tack,  that  he  was  visited  by  C.  J.,  the  following  account 
of  whose  early  interviews  is  given  in  his  own  words :  — 

"I  called  upon  William  Chapman  for  the  first  time, 
on  July  24th,  1843,  and  was  informed  that  he  was  so 
weak  that  he  could  not  be  visited;  I  called  a  second 
time,  but  he  was  asleep;  on  my  next  call  I  met  with, 
him,  inquired  after  his  health,  and  gently  introduced 


THE    POWER    OF    DIVINE  GRACE. 


8 


religious  conversation,  such  as  the  design  of  afflictions 
generally,  with  the  beneficial  results,  when  sanctified  by 
the  grace  of  God.  He  said,  '  Have  you  come  to  force 
that  stuff  on  me?  I'll  not  have  it.'  I  replied,  'If  I 
could,  it  would  do  you  no  good;  we  can  only  be  bene- 
fited by  religion,  by  making  choice  of  it,'  &c.  His  ex- 
pressions were  very  strong  against  the  Scriptures,  Chris- 
tianity, and  professors  of  religion  generally,  remarking, 
'  The  Bible  cannot  be  true,  otherwise  Christians  (as  you 
call  them)  would  not  act  so  unlike  their  profession,  and 
so  unlike  the  New  Testament;  you  must  not  tell  me  it 
is  true,  I  will  not  believe  it.' 

"  On  another  visit,  he  wrould  not  permit  me  to  read 
the  Scriptures  to  him,  although  he  had  previously  done 
so,  saying,  'I  see  your  drift;  you  want  to  read  that  stuff 
to  me  now,  then  when  I  become  weaker  you  will  want 
to  pray  writh  me  ;  but  I  '11  prevent  you  ;  you  shall  never 
pray  with  me; '  and  more  than  once,  on  my  leaving  him, 
he  has  said,  '  Come  no  more  here,  I  do  not  want  you.'  " 

He  was  frequently  visited  by  two  female  friends,  to 
one  of  whom  he  spoke  in  a  strain  of  the  most  hardened 
indifference  regarding  the  concerns  of  his  soul,  intimat- 
ing his  disbelief  of  the  Scriptures,  and  inferring,-  if  not 
expressly  stating,  his  rejection  of  the  doctrine  of  a  fu- 
ture state  of  existence.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  his 
friend  asked  him,  in  a  very  gentle  manner,  whether  he 
would  have  any  objection  to  hear  a  chapter  from  the 
Bible.  He  replied,  "I  had  rather  not;  I  don't  want  to 
hear  it;  I  feel  no  interest  in  it."  The  inquiry  was  re 
peated,  and  the  like  answer  returned.,  adding,  "I  read 
the  Bible  often  enough  wrhen  I  was  young,  I  don't  want 
to  hear  it  now;  it  does  not  concern  me."  After  some 
further  remarks,  however,  and  the  possibility  having 
been  intimated,  that  now  that  he  was  ill,  and  had  eternity 


4 


THE    POWER    OF    DIVINE  GRACE. 


close  in  view,  he  might  hear  it  with  rather  different 
feelings,  he  said,  —  "Well,  you  may  read  a  chapter  if 
you  like,  but  I  don't  wish  it."  The  10th  ch.  of  John 
was  read,  and  he  listened  with  much  apparent  attention, 
and  it  was  with  no  small  surprise  that  his  friend,  on 
taking  his  hand  at  parting,  and  tenderly  urging  upon 
him  the  duty  and  privilege  of  prayer,  whilst  pointing 
him  to  tnat  mercy  which  is  freely  offered  to  the  penitent 
sinner — observed  the  tear  silently  trickling  down  his 
cheek ;  his  heart  was  too  full  for  utterance,  and  a  sup- 
pressed sob,  it  is  believed,  was  his  only  answer. 

On  the  19th  of  the  12th  month,  1843,  C.  J.  writes, 
"  This  day  his  sufferings  being  great,  he  charged  the 
Almighty  with  cruelty,  and  would  not  permit  me  to 
speak.  After  remaining  some  time  silent,  he  said,  with 
a  countenance  and  expression  much  altered,  '  Can  you 
do  anything  for  me  ? '  I  affectionately  spoke  to  him 
about  the  Great  Physician,  till  he  was  softened  down, 
and  tears  stood  in  his  eyes." 

On  the  friend,  before  referred  to,  calling  the  following 
day,  and  making  some  inquiries  respecting  his  health, 
he  burst  into  tears  and  w^ept  aloud.  On  being  asked,  if 
anything  were  the  matter,  and  affectionately  urged  to 
impart  the  cause  of  his  distress,  he  said,  "Oh!  1  fear  I 
shall  never  get  out  again."  His  attention  wTas  directed 
to  a  future  world,  and  to  the  glories  which  the  Bible 
records — to  which  he  replied,  "I  never  could  get  an/ 
settled  belief  in  these  things.  I  should  like  to  believe 
them  if  I  could,  but  I  think  I  must  be  more  hardened 
than  any  one."  He  listened  attentively  to  some  further 
remarks,  and  to  several  texts  of  Scripture,  which  were 
quoted  for  his  encouragement,  —  and  soon  afterwards, 
with  a  look  of  anguish  in  his  countenance,  which  can 
be  better  imagined  than  described,  exclaimed,  "I  shall 


THE    POWER    OF    DIVINE  GRACE. 


5 


not  be  here  long ;  and  if  I  die  as  I  am,  it  will  he  awful, 
if  the  Bible  be  true."  He  readily  consented  to  hear 
some  portions  of  Scripture  ;  and  after  the  parable  of  the 
Pharisee  and  Publican,  and  the  103d  Psalm,  had  been 
read,  he  expressed  his  gratitude  to  his  friend,  intimating 
his  intention  of  endeavoring  to  apply  in  prayer  unto 
Him  who  hath  said,  '-Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive;  seek, 
and  ye  shall  tind." 

About  this  time,  C.  J.  says,  "When  urging  the  im 
portance  and  absolute  necessity  of  his  beginning  him 
self  to  pray,  he  replied,  'I  do  not  understand  why  I 
should  pray;  the  Almighty  knows  what  I  have  need  of.' 
I  brought  before  him  the  Divine  plan,  viz.,  that  the  Lord 
will  be  inquired  of  to  do  for  us  the  things  that  w^e  have 
need  of,  kc.  I  read  the  Scriptures  to  him,  during  which 
he  was  very  attentive ;  also,  whilst  remarks  wrere  made 
on  the  solemnity  of  a  dying  hour,  and  the  final  doom  of 
the  soul,  &c,  after  a  pause,  he  said,  '  I  do  not  know  how 
to  pray.'  " 

The  same  kind  friend  subsequently  remarks,  "I  found 
him  yielding  to  Divine  influence ;  I  read  the  Scriptures 
to  him;  he  spoke  cheerfully,  saying,  'I  want  to  be  right; 
how  can  I  come?'  In  tender  affection,  the  encouraging 
words  of  the  Saviour  w^ere  brought  before  him,  'Him 
that  cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.'  The 
sign  of  the  sincere  penitent  was  evident." 

For  some  time  after  this  period,  he  appeared  to  wish 
to  be  left  very  much  to  himself,  wTith  the  exception  of 
having  the  Bible  read  to  him,  for  which  he  always  ex- 
pressed his  gratitude ;  but  on  conversation  being  at- 
tempted, he  would  sometimes  say,  "Well,  I  will  en- 
deavor to  think  of  these  things  in  private;"  and  deeply, 
as  the  result  abundantly  proved,  did  he  ponder  them  in 
his  heart.    A  remark  which  he  made  to  his  mother,  <i 


6 


THE    POWER    OP    DIVINE  GRACE. 


tihort  time  previous  to  his  decease,  shews,  to  sonrc  ex. 
tent,  the  mental  suffering  and  conflict  through  which  ha 
had  passed,  though  little  known,  at  the  time,  to  those 
around  him.  After  having  "been  engaged  in  prayer,  for 
his  near  connections,  and  exhorting  his  mother  to  pre- 
pare for  death,  before  she  came  to  be  laid  upon  a  sick 
bed,  he  said,  "  For  it  takes  a  deal  to  get  religion  ;  it  has 
taken  the  flesh  from  my  body  far  more  than  all  my 
illness ; "  thus  showing  that  if  the  unregeuerate  pass 
from  death  unto  life,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto 
God,  it  must  be  under  the  flaming  sword,  and  through 
the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  fire,  that  cuts 
down  and  consumes  the  evil  nature  and  wickedness  in 
man,  and  purifies  and  sanctifies  by  the  refining  fire  of 
the  Lord,  that  burns  as  an  oven  in  the  inward  parts,  to 
purify  and  cleanse  from  all  evil  before  it  is  fit  for  his 
Spirit  to  dwell  with,  or  to  be  in  His  holy  presence. 

These  know  their  sins  to  go  beforehand  to  judgment, 
and  can  in  truth  and  humility  say  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
their  Lord  and  Saviour. 

Subsequent  to  this  season  of  trial,  he  began  freely  to 
converse  on  the  state  of  his  mind,  dwelling  with  joyful 
anticipation  on  the  prospect  before  him,  frequently  say- 
ing, "  The  future  has  nothing  but  happiness  for  me." 
Yet  it  was  always  with  deep  humility,  and  a  constant 
and  grateful  sense  of  the  magnitude  of  that  mercy 
which,  as  he  often  expressed  it,  had  plucked  him  as  a 
brand  from  the  burning."  His  child-like  dependence 
on  his  Heavenly  Father  was  striking  and  instructive; 
he  would  sometimes  say,  "All  my  trust  is  in  God;  my 
confidence  is  in  him."  Nor  less  conspicuous  were  his 
patience  under  suffering,  and  his  gratitude  for  the  at- 
tention paid  to  his  bodily  necessities,  frequently  saying, 
"I  am  surrounded  with  cemforts,  while  many  have  not 
food  enough  to  eat." 


THE    POWER    OF    DIVINE  GRACE. 


7 


Soon  after  tins,  C.  J.  says,  "  He  was  free  to  converse 
and  to  receive  instruction;  I  read  the  Scriptures  to  him; 
aud  on  my  remarking,  'There  is  none  other  name  under 
Heaven,  given  among  men,  whereby  we  must  be  savedr 
but  the  name  of  Jesus,'  he  replied,  '  There  is  not.'  " 

"On  my  next  visit,"  C.J.  continues,  "he  was  still 
more  free  to  converse  and  to  communicate;  he  referred 
to  his  past  life  as  to  the  example  he  had  shown  to 
others,  and  expressed  a  deep  and  sincere  regret  at  hav- 
ing held  (and  firmly  too)  as  his  belief,  principles  that,  on 
a  sick  bed,  he  found  unable  to  support  him.  The  fol- 
lowing are  his  own  words:  —  'My  views  on  the  Bible 
and  on  Christianity  have  been  sadly  and  awfully  wrong, 
but,  when  young,  I  was  ready  to  catch  at  infidelity,  nay, 
it  was  just  what  I  desired  to  be  true;  and,  as  I  advanced 
in  life,  I  grew  more  and  more  hardened,  and  more 
(irmly  was  I  determined  to  resist  all  evidence  of  what  I 
now  see  and  believe  to  be  truth,  and  I  did  so  with  all 
my  might.  But  I  now  state  this  to  you  as  my  firm  be- 
lief, that  nine  out  of  ten  of  the  infidels  cannot  meet  a 
sick  bed  and  a  dying  hour,  with  their  principles.  1 
know  more  of  infidelity  than  the}'  do,  and  have  been 
more  determined  than  they  all,  never  to  yield  to  the 
truth  of  Divine  revelation,  but  I  have  found  it  w^ould 
not  do,  and  I  solemnly  regret  the  past ;  had  it  not  been 
for  my  past  wicked,  sinful,  and  infidel  life,  I  might  have 
been  this  day  a  useful  member  of  society,  and  a  bright 
Christian  ;  but,  oh  this  cursed  drink  !  I  have  shortened 
my  days.  I  have  often  said  there  is  not  a  Christian  in 
the  wTo?ld ;  but  I  know  better  now,  and  I  am  thankful 
for  being  favored  with  the  visits  of  some.  And  now,' 
said  he  to  me,  6  you  are  at  liberty  to  make  these  state- 
ments public,  and  any  other  concerning  me,  you  thinTs 
proper,  and  that  you  think  likely  to  benefit  others  after 


8 


THE    POWER    OF    DIVINE  GRACE. 


1  am  gone.'  On  this  occasion  he  manifested  a  friendship 
for  me  beyond  anything  previous ;  there  was  a  mild- 
ness, a  calmness,  and  sweetness  of  countenance,  which 
were  as  opposite  to  his  former  behavior  as  darkness  is 
from  light,  and  he  spoke  of  Jesus,  that  Jesus  whom  he 
had  denied  and  spoken  all  manner  of  evil  against,  with 
a  reverence  which  evinced  a  wonderful  revolution  hav- 
ing taken  place." 

At  another  time  he  observed,  "I  am  astonished  at  the 
extensive  mercy  of  God,  and  wonder  he  has  not  long 
since  swept  me  off  in  my  wickedness.  I  once  stood  up 
in  a  public-house,  when  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  and 
uttered  words  of  a  most  awful  and  wicked  character, 
and  for  once,  I  afterwards  felt  ashamed  at  my  conduct." 

He  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  welfare  of  an  indi- 
vidual he  had  long  known,  who,  like  himself,  was  fast 
verging  to  the  grave,  and  who  had  lived  in  the  total 
neglect  of  religion.  A  visitor  going  in  one  day,  found 
them  sitting  together;  having  had  a  mutual  desire  to 
see  each  other,  as  W.  C.  said,  "in  all  probability  for  the 
last  time,"  his  friend  had  rode  up  for  the  purpose.  Af- 
ter they  had  listened  to  some  portions  of  Scripture,  Wil- 
liam remarked,  ''Infidelity  may  do  in  health,  but  it 
makes  a  poor  shift  in  sickness;"  and  observing,  there 
was  no  other  way  than  by  prayer  to  seek  for  repentance 
and  faith.  Afterwards,  alluding,  as  he  often  did,  to  the 
evils  of  strong  drink,  he  said,  "There  are  infidels  plenty 
made  in  public-houses,  and  it  must  be  so,  for  they  are 
driven  to  it,  to  reconcile  themselves  to  their  wicked 
practices." 

One  of  his  friends  going  in,  on  another  occasion,  and 
finding  that  a  visitor  had  just  been  with  him,  observed, 
that  he  had  probably  had  sufficient  reading.  "No,"  said 
he,  "  if  you  will  p  ease  to  read  to  me,  I  should  like  it; 


THE    POWER    OF    DIVINE  GRACE. 


9 


I  don't  get  too  much  of  the  Bible,  for  I  like  to  hear  it." 

A  hope  being  expressed,  that  he  now  realized  the  bless- 
ing of  the  Gospel,  he  said,  "Yes,  that  I  do,  indeed  I  do, 
far  different  from  what  I  ever  expected ;  it  cheers  many 
a  silent  hour  in  the  night.  Once,  I  thought  only  of  how 
this  world  was  to  be  got  through ;  I  never  expected  to 
live  in  a  future  one;  now,  I  hope  to  live  for  ever,  where 
sin  and  sorrow  will  not  be  known." 

Keference  being  made  to  the  commencement  of  the 
remarkable  change  which  had  taken  place  in  his  rnind, 
lie  said,  "I  began  to  contrast  the  two  sides — the  bless- 
ings of  the  Almighty,  and  the  opposite,  and  I  saw  that 
they  far  overpowered  the  other.  I  saw  how  vast  the 
blessings  wdiich  the  Gospel  offered,  and  I  looked  at  my 
own  state,  and  I  felt  that  I  was  miserable.  I  then  prayed, 
and  became  rather  more  comfortable,  and  soon  after  fell 
asleep,  and  awoke  more  elevated  in  my  mind,  —  then  I 
prayed  two  or  three  times,  and,  at  length,  I  thought  I 
felt  a  sense  of  forgiveness.  Ah!"  he  continued,  "there 
is  mercy  and  forgiveness  with  the  Almighty ;  what  a  bless- 
ing it  is,  that  my  eyes  have  been  opened;  how  different 
would  it  have  been,  had  I  died  in  my  former  state."  In 
reply  to  a  question,  he  said,  "Yes,  I  do  believe  that 
Jesus  came  to  save  that  which  was  lost;  he  came  to  save 
me,  and  he  died  on  the  cross  for  me.  Oh!  "he  observed, 
"  if  I  had  died  without  seeking  a  preparation  !  "  It  was 
remarked,  that  the  work  of  the  soul's  regeneration,  of 
which  they  had  been  reading,  was  a  great  work.  "  Yes/' 
said  he,  "indeed  it  is ;  to  have  all  our  affections  and  de- 
sires changed,  as  they  must  be,  to  enter  Heaven;  —  how 
could  we  go  to  Heaven  in  our  wild  state?  No,  we  must 
be  changed." 

"Oh!  when  one  looks  back  on  one's  past  life,  and 
thinks  how  one  has  injured  one's  fellow-creatures,  and 


10 


THE    POWER    OF    DIVINE  GRACE. 


how  one  has  sinned  against  an  unoffending  God,  oh!  it 
is  bad  to  bear.  I  suffered,  indescribably  at  one  time ; 
and  when  I  was  in  the  habit  of  drinking,  a  ad  had  been 
drinking,  perhaps,  for  days  together,  I  did  feei  miser- 
able ;  I  was  easy  nowhere ;  —  I  could  neither  sit,  nor  lie, 
nor  wralk,  nor  stand;  I  was  put  out  with  everything;  1 
could  look  at  nothing,  for  I  felt  I  was  doing  wrong; 
but/'  he  continued,  "  my  eyes  have  been  opened,  and 
God  has  promised  that  whosoever  cometh  unto  Him,  he 
Will  abundantly  pardon.  He  has  been  pleased  to  pardon 
me,  who  am  one  of  the  most  unworthy  of  his  creatures. 
Oh  !  His  mercy  is  great," — adding,  "Pain  of  the  body  is 
bad  to  bear,  but,  if  the  mind  be  right,  that  is  the  thing." 

At  another  time,  being  asked  if  there  were  any  of  his 
former  associates  to  whom  he  would  like  to  communi- 
cate his  change,  he  said,  that  most  of  them  had  been  to 
see  him,  and  he  had  told  them  of  it.  Several  had  come 
to  hear  for  themselves,  having  heard  of  it,  and  not  been 
able  to  believe  it;  "and  no  wonder,"  said  he,  "  that  I 
had  changed ;  J,  who  used  to  be  so  determined  in  de- 
fence of  infidelity, — for  me  to  have  changed  was  more 
than  they  could  credit.  There  are  people  that  will  say, 
that  a  sick-bed  is  a  weak  time  to  try  a  man ;  it  should 
be  when  he  is  in  health;  but  I  say,  no.  I  have  the  use 
of  my  mind,  I  know  wimt  I  say,  and  I  can  think  aa 
well  as  ever  I  could." 

One  day,  feeling  extremely  weak,  and  remarking  that 
he  was  now  unable  to  stand,  he  exclaimed,  with  much 
earnestness,  "May  the  Lord  have  mercy  on  my  soul!" 
On  being  asked  if  he  had  any  fear,  he  replied,  "  No,  I 
don't  fear,  but  it  is  an  awful  thing  to  be  in  that  state 
that  one  cannot  stand."  Soon  after  adding,  ""Yes,  I 
feel  an  assurance  that  I  shall  be  happy;  I  believe  the 
Lord  will  have  mercy  on  me,  and  receive  me  into  His 


THE    POWER    OP    DIVINE  GRACE. 


U 


mansions  of  everlasting  joy,  to  dwell  with  him  forever, 
where  all  sickness  and  sorrow  will  be  at  an  end.  God 
is  sufficient  for  all  things.  I  am  very  weak,  but  He  is 
all-sufficient,  and  is  strength  in  weakness."  Speaking 
of  some  of  his  former  companions,  who  had  been  to  see 
him,  he  said,  he  had  entreated  them  not  to  go  on  in 
their  present  ways,  forgetting  the  future,  and  putting 
off  till  a  sick-bed.  "For,  I  have  told  them,  'you  don't 
know  that  the  Almighty  will  accept  your  offer  then  ;  it 
rests  AH-th  His  mercy,  whether  he  will  receive  you  or  not ; ' 
and  only  to  think  of  being  shut  out  of  Heaven !  Oh !  it  is 
awTful; —  to  be  cast  into  hell,  into  everlasting  torment,  and 
to  be  with  devils !  Oh !  how  dreadful !  Oh !  eternity ! — an 
eternity  of  misery,  what  a  thought!  God  is  the  port,  the 
only  place  of  safety,  under  all  circumstances." 

At  another  time,  mentioning  the  visit  of  a  friend,  he 
said.  "I  told  him  I  believed  all  was  well  with  me,  as  re- 
gards my  prospects  for  another  world;  I  have  no  fear,  1 
am  very  happy."  Allusion  being  made  to  his  long- 
continued  weakness,  he  said,  "Yes,  I  must  bear  it  as  well 
as  I  can ;  I  can  do  very  well  now  that  I  have  got  used  to 
it,  for  my  mind  is  easy  and  happy." 

A  friend  calling  in,  about  three  days  previous  to  his 
decease,  found  him  much  altered ;  ho  looked  at  her  with 
great  earnestness,  and  said,  "When  I  think  of  the  love 
of  God  to  me,  it  seems  past  all  description,  that  I  should 
be  plucked,  as  out  of  the  fire,  as  at  the  last,  and  given 
to  see  that  my  blessed  Saviour  had  died  to  save  me 
Oh!  it  is  past  all  description;  it  makes  my  heart  so  full, 
the  tears  will  flow;  I  have  no  wish  to  live;  I  am  going 
to  Heaven.  To  think  that  such  a  sinner  as  I  have  been 
should  be  admitted  into  Heaven,  there  to  worship  and 
praise  my  God  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  forever;  no 
more  sin,  no  more  sorrow;  what  a  wonderful  thing  it  is! 


12 


THE    POWER    OF    DIVINE  GRACE. 


Many  persons  weep,  when  they  come  to  see  me ;  and 
well  they  may,  to  see  what  a  change  there  is.  I  tell 
them  to  leave  off  drinking  and  bad  language,  and  read 
their  Bibles ;  they  will  find  when  they  come  to  a  dying 
bed,  it  won't  do  (meaning  his  bad  principles).  I  tried  to 
believe  that  there  was  no  God,  but  I  never  can  be  thank- 
ful enough  that  he  has  spared  me  to  repent.  Oh!  these 
bad  principles;  they  will  not  do  when  a  man  comes  to 
his  dying  bed.  I  might  have  been  taken,  as  in  a  moment, 
and  then  where  should  I  have  been  ?  but,  wonderful 
mercy!  God  has  spared  me  to  repent;  and  now,  that  I 
should  be  permitted  to  see  that  blessed  Saviour  whom  I 
denied  !    Oh!  God,  thou  hast  indeed  been  good  to  me." 

On  the  day  before  his  decease,  he  again  prayed  for  his 
aged  mother,  sister,  and  aunt,  and  particularly  mentioned 
two  of  his  friends,  saying,  "  Bless  them  all,  and  grant 
that  we  may  all  meet  again  in  heaven."  He  then  ex- 
claimed, "Oh  God!  thou  hast  plucked  me  as  a  brand 
from  the  burning.  Oh !  be  pleased  to  be  with  me,  now 
that  I  am  dying,  and  if  I  show  any  impatience,  be  pleased 
to  forgive  me.  Thy  love  to  me  has  been  past  all  descrip- 
tion. Oh!  be  with  me  to  the  end."  After  this,  taking 
his  mother  by  the  hand,  he  said,  "Dear  mother,  mind 
and  attend  your  place  of  worship;  do  what  you  know 
to  be  right,  and  prepare  to  meet  me  in  heaven." 

From  this  time,  he  continued  gradually  to  decline, 
and  a  visitor  who  called  in,  a  short  time  before  the 
solemn  close,  expressing  a  hope  that  they  might  meet 
in  heaven,  he  faintly  replied,  "Amen,  Amen." 

These  were  nearly  the  last  words  he  uttered,  though 
lie  remained  sensible  until  his  purified  spirit,  without 
sigh,  groan,  or  struggle,  exchanged  the  conflicts  of  time 
for  the  joys  of  eternity. 


No.  114-. 

THE 

LN"¥AED  LIFE 

AXD 

Power  of  Christ. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  TZE  TBACT  ASSOCIATION  OP  PRIEtfDS, 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 


THE  INWARD  LIFE 

AND 

POWER  OF  CHRIST. 


Question.  What  is  it  to  be  a  Christian? 

Answer.  A  Christian  is  to  be  a  believer  in  and  a  follower 
of  Christ:  and  consequently  he  must  have  the  same  Spirit  to 
walk  by  that  Christ  had.  Christ  had  the  fulness  of  life;  and 
from  His  fulness  we  all  receive  a  measure  of  the  same  life, 
"Of  his  fulness  have  all  we  received,  and  grace  for  grace." 
John  i.  16. 

Q.  Can  the  Christian  do  any  good  thing,  or  bear  any  good 
fruit  of  himself,  without  Christ  Jesus  ? 

A.  No.  Christ  distinctly  declared  to  His  disciples  :  "I  am 
the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches."  "As  the  branch  cannot  bear 
fruit  of  itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine ;  no  more  can  ye, 
except  ye  abide  in  me for  without  me  ye  can  do 
nothing."  God  is  the  fountain  from  which  all  the  streams 
of  goodness  flow  —  the  living  source  from  which  all  that  is 
pure  and  lovely  must  emanate. 

Q.  What  does  the  Lord  require  of  man  in  order  to  be  a 
Christian  ? 

A.  That  man  shall  turn  at  His  call  from  the  power  of 
darkness  to  the  light  of  Christ  within,  repent,  believe,  and 
obev  Him. 

(J.  is  it.  possible  for  any  man  to  come  to  the  eternal  rest 
of  God,  but  through  repentance,  faith,  and  obedience? 

A.  No.    It  is  upon  the  fulfilment  of  these  that  any  realize 

(2) 


THE  INWARD  LIFE  AND  POWER  OF  CHRIST. 


3 


the  benefit  of  what  Christ  has  done  for  them  without  them, 
and  are  saved:  agreeably  to  the  Scriptures:  "Except  ye 
repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish."  "  Without  faith  it  is 
impossible  to  please  God."  And,  "  What  shall  the  end  be 
of  them  that  obey  not  the  gospel  of  God  ?  "  None  can  expe- 
rience salvation  whilst  they  remain  in  sin.  The  operation  of 
Divine  grace  upon  the  soul,  as  it  is  yielded  to,  produces 
repentance,  faith,  and  obedience:  and  in  continued  faithful- 
ness to  that  grace,  men  are  not  only  reconciled  to  God  by  the 
death  of  His  Son,  but  through  the  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  the  inner  man  "are  washed,  are  sanctified,  are  jus- 
tified in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  by  the  Spirit  of 
our  God." 

Q.  Does  the  true  light,  which  enlighten eth  every  man  that 
cometh  into  the  world,  show  unto  man  what  he  is  to  repent 
of,  what  he  is  to  have  faith  in,  and  what  to  be  obedient  to,  in 
order  to  salvation  ? 

A.  Yes.  That  whereby  the  Spirit  of  God  convinceth  of 
sin,  is  His  light  shining  in  the  conscience.  Fallen  man  is  in 
darkness ;  the  light  shineth  in  the  darkness,  and  shows  man 
the  evil,  which  otherwise  would  remain  hidden  there.  "  For 
God,  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  hath 
shined  in  our  hearts,  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ."  2  Cor.  iv.  6.  "And 
ye  need  not  that  any  man  teach  you ;  but  as  the  same 
anointing  teacheth  you  of  all  things,  and  is  truth,  and  is  no 
lie,  and  even  as  it  hath  taught  you,  ye  shall  abide  in  Him." 
1  John  ii.  27. 

Q.  Where  did  the  Apostles  and  early  Christians  meet  w7ith 
the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  Christ? 

A.  They  met  with  it  within.  God  shined  in  their  hearts  : 
and  there  it  is  also  that  the  work  of  conviction  is  wrought  by 
the  Holy  Spirit.  "In  him  (Christ)  was  life;  and  the  life 
was  the  light  of  men."  "That  was  the  true  light  which 
lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world."  And  again, 
"This  is  the  condemnation,  that  light  is  come  into  the  world, 
and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their  deed3 
were  evil." 


4         THE  INWARD  LIFE  AND  POWER  OF  CHRIST. 


Q.  Is  there  then  no  outward  knowledge  that  can  save? 

A.  ~No:  no  mere  outward  knowledge  is  adequate  to  1  his 
great  work.  "  Because  that  which  may  be  known  of  God,  is 
manifest  in  them  (men),  for  God  hath  shewed  it  unto  them." 
Also,  "He  is  not  a  Jew  which  is  one  outwardly;  neither  is 
that  circumcision  which  is  outward  in  the  flesh  ;  but  he  is  a 
Jew  which  is  one  inwardly ;  and  circumcision  is  that  of  the 
heart  in  the  spirit,  and  not  in  the  letter ;  whose  praise  is  not 
of  men,  but  of  God."  Again,  saith  the  Kedeemer:  "The 
kingdom  of  God  cometh  not  with  observation ;  neither  shall 
they  say,  Lo  here!  or  Lo  there!  for,  behold,  the  kingdom  of 
God  is  within  you.,J  And  again  the  Apostle  saith  to  the 
saints  of  Colosse,  when  speaking  of  the  mystery  of  Christ : 
"To  whom  God  would  make  known  what  is  the  riches  of  the 
glory  of  this  mystery  among  the  Gentiles  ;  which  is  Christ  in 
you  the  hope  of  glory."  And  to  the  Ephesians,  "  I  bow  my 
knees  unto  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  of  whom  the 
whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named,  that  he  would 
grant  you,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  glory,  to  be  strength- 
ened with  might  by  his  Spirit  in  the  inner  man ;  that  Christ 
may  dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faith,"  &c. 

Q.  Then  the  knowledge  and  reception  of  this  Spirit,  if  by 
it  we  are  strengthened  with  might  in  the  inner  man,  must  be 
of  the  greatest  importance ! 

A.  It  is  so  truly.  To  know  how  and  where  to  meet  with 
God's  Spirit  is  a  very  important  step  in  the  great  work  of 
Christian  redemption. 

Q.  Please  to  explain  more  fully  why  it  is  so  essential  ? 

A.  There  is  no  doctrine  more  strikingly  set  forth  in  the 
Scriptures  than  the  necessity  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  moving, 
governing,  and  assisting  mankind  in  order  to  their  salvation. 
It  is  recorded  that  holy  men  of  old  "spake  as  they  were 
moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  On  the  day  of  Pentecost  the 
disciples  spake  "  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance."  The 
Apostle  Paul  declares:  "If  any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  he  is  none  of  his."  "As  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God."  "  No  man  can  say  that 
Jesus  is  the  Lord  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost."    Again  it  is 


\  HE  INWARD  LIFE  AND  POWER  OF  CHRIST. 


5 


declared  of  the  new  covenant  of  which  Christ  Jesus  is  the 
Mediator:  "I  will  put  my  law  in  their  inward  parts  and 

write  it  in  their  hearts ;  and  they  shall  teach  no 

more  every  man  his  neighbor,  and  every  man  his  brother 
saying,  Know  the  Lord;  for  they  all  shall  know  me,  from 
the  least  of  them  unto  the  greatest  of  them."  Many  other 
passages  in  Holy  Scripture  might  be  cited  which  go  to  prove 
that  the  light  and  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  heart 
are  absolutely  necessary  to  salvation. 

Q.  Is  this  Spirit  given  to  certain  persons  only  ?  In  other 
words,  is  it  of  limited,  or  of  universal  application  ? 

A.  The  Apostle  declares  to  the  Corinthians :  "  The  mani- 
festation of  the  Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit  withal." 
"  For  by  one  Spirit,"  he  continues,  "  are  we  all  baptized  into 
one  body  whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles,  whether  we  be 
bond  or  free;  and  have  been  all  made  to  drink  into  one 
Spirit."  Moreover  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  pur- 
chased by  the  offering  of  Christ  for  all  mankind."  That 
was  the  true  Light,  which  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh 
into  the  world."  And  this  Light  is  also  the  same  with 
that  grace  the  Apostle  alludes  to  in  the  language,  "  The 
grace  of  God  that  bringeth  salvation  hath  appeared  to 
all  men,  teaching  us  that,  denying  ungodliness  and  worldly 
lusts,  we  should  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly  in  this 
present  world.  Looking  for  that  blessed  hope  and  the  glo- 
rious appearing  of  the  great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ,  who  gave  himself  for  us  that  he  might  redeem  us  from 
all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people  zeal- 
ous of  good  works"  And,  "Unto  every  one  of  us  is  given 
grace,  according  to  the  measure  of  the  gift  of  Christ."  Oar 
Saviour  himself  declared,  "  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go 
away,  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto 
you ;  but  if  I  depart  I  will  send  him  unto  you  ;  and  when  he 
is  come  he  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and 
of  judgment." 

Q.  Is  the  operation  of  this  Grace,  or  Light,  or  Holy  Spirit, 
confined  to  believers? 

A.  No.    The  work  of  this  power  of  God  in  the  soul  is  not 


6         THE  INWARD  LIFE  AND  POWER  OF  CHRIST. 


restricted  to  believers,  as  many  erroneously  imagine.  For, 
were  it  not  for  the  moving  of  this  Spirit,  or  Light  of  Christ 
inwardly  felt  and  known,  man  could  not  become  a  believer  at 
all.  Its  first  work,  as  already  alluded  to,  is  to  convince  of 
sin,  and  make  us  feel  our  lost  condition  and  need  of  a  Re- 
deemer, giving  power  to  believe  in  Him  as-  a  Prince  and  a 
Saviour,  whom  God  hath  exalted  to  give  repentance  and  for- 
giveness of  sins.  If  we  yield  the  heart  in  thorough  obedience 
to  Christ,  then  will  He,  in  living  power,  set  up  His  kingdom 
and  government  there:  and  such  will  find  to  their  unspeak- 
able joy,  that  of  the  increase  of  His  government  and  peace 
revealed  in  them,  there  shall  never  be  an  end. 

Q.  I  think  I  see  that  nothing  can  be  done  in  religion  with- 
out the  reception  of  Christ  Jesus,  by  His  all-sufficient  grace, 
and  leavening,  preserving  Spirit  manifested  within.  Is  it  not 
the  tendency  of  a  mere  intellectual  belief  in  the  atoning  blood 
of  Christ  to  produce  a  vain  confidence  of  having  attained, 
without  experiencing  the  power  of  the  Saviour's  cleansing, 
healing  grace  to  purge  and  purify  the  soul  ? 

A.  Yes:  reliance  on  the  mere  literal  knowledge,  without 
knowing  the  inward  work,  tends  to  self-delusion.  Christ  told 
Nicodemus.  who,  it  seems,  was  too  little  acquainted  with  the 
transforming  power  of  the  true  faith,  to  the  purifying  of  the 
soul,  that  "  that  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh."  And  He 
said  to  His  disciples,  "  It  is  the  Spirit  that  quickeneth ;  the  flesh 
profiteth  nothing."  These  worshippers  in  the  outer  court, 
though  they  may  spread  forth  their  branches  of  profession  as 
Lebanon,  except  they  come  to  and  submit  to  the  quickening, 
redeeming  power  of  His  Holy  Spirit, — the  reality  of  vital 
religion,  —  the  Lord  will  " blow  upon  them,  and  they  shall 
wither,  and  the  whirlwind  shall  take  them  away  as  stubble." 
So  there  is  no  being  saved  by  a  mere  assent  of  the  understand- 
ing to  Christ's  death  for  us,  and  of  His  resurrection,  ascen 
sion,  intercession,  &c.  We  must  be  brought  into  a  true  fel- 
lowship with  Him  in  his  death,  and  must  feel  His  immortal 
seed  of  life  raised  and  living  in  us.  "That  like  as  Christ  was 
raised  up  from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so 
we  also  should  walk  in  newness  of  life."    And  so  we  must 


THE  INWARD  LIFE  AND  POWEtt  OF  CHRIST  7 


experience  something  deeper  than  the  faith  in  Christ's  death 
which  is  received  and  entertained  only  from  the  relation  of 
the  letter  of  the  Scriptures,  and  stands  not  in  the  Divine 
power,  and  sensible  experience  of  the  begotten  of  God  in  the 
soul. 

Q.  Is  it  any  undervaluing  of  the  Redeemer's  blood  or  out- 
ward sacrifice,  to  uphold  the  necessity  for  feeling  the  inward 
benefit  of  it  ? 

A.  Nay  ;  the  justification  or  redemption  is  not  by  believing 
of  a  thing  done  without  man  (though  that  also  is  to  be  believed), 
but  by  receiving  Christ  into  the  heart ;  and  I  cannot  be  made 
partaker  thereof  by  believing  that  He  did  such  a  thing  with- 
out, or  that  He  did  it  for  me,  but  by  receiving  and  feeling 
the  virtue  of  it  in  me.  This  is  that  which  saves  me,  and 
makes  that  which  was  done  without  to  be  mine. 

Q.  But,  in  conclusion,  must  we  not  be  saved  by  that  Christ 
alone  who  died  at  Jerusalem  ? 

A.  There  is  no  way  of  being  saved  from  sin,  and  wrath 
eternal,  but  by  that  Christ  alone  which  died  at  Jerusalem, 
who  in  His  own  self  bare  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree, 
that  we,  being,  dead  to  sins,  should  live  unto  righteousness,  by 
whose  stripes  we  are  healed.  There  is  no  name,  virtue,  life, 
or  power  under  heaven  given  by  which  lost  man  may  be 
saved,  but  His  alone. 

But  there  is  no  way  of  knowing  our  sins  washed  away  in 
His  blood,  and  being  saved  by  Him,  but  through  receiving 
Him  by  His  Spirit  into  the  heart  by  a  living  faith,  bestowed 
by  Him,  and  by  having  Him  formed  in  the  heart.  Christ 
saves  not  as  He  stands  without  at  the  door  knocking,  but  as 
He  is  let  in  ;  and  being  let  in,  He  brings  in  with  Him  that 
life,  power,  and  mercy,  which  break  down  the  wall  of  par- 
tition, unite  to  God,  and  save.  Mankind  in  all  generations 
of  the  world  have  partaken  of  the  benefit  of  His  death  and 
mediation  ;  for  it  is  testified  that  He  is  the  "  Lamb  slain  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world  ;  "  and  the  Apostle,  speaking  of 
the  ancient  Jews,  says,  they  "did  all  eat  the  same  spiritual 
meat,  and  did  all  drink  the  same  spiritual  drink,  for  they 


8         THE  INWARD  LIFE  AND  POWER  OF  CHRIST. 


drank  of  that  spiritual  Rock  that  followed  them,  and  that 
Rock  was  Christ." 

Listen  then,  reader,  attentively,  and  when  Christ  knocks, 
open  the  door  of  thy  heart  and  let  Him  in.  If  thou  reject 
Him  not,  He  will,  by  His  Holy  Spirit,  set  thy  sins  in  order 
before  thee,  give  thee  the  gift  of  repentance,  and  a  living 
faith  in  the  crucified  Immanuel,  and  as  thou  walkest  in  the 
light,  as  God  is  in  the  light,  thou  shalt  have  fellowship  with 
his  children,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son  will 
cleanse  thee  from  all  sin. 


No.  115. 


MEMOIR 


OP 

Samuel  Fothergill 


A  MINISTER  IN  THE  SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL. 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL,  son  of  John  and  Margaret 
Fothergill,  was  born  at  Carr  End,  England,  the  9th 
of  Ninth  month,  1717.  He  was  little  more  than  three 
years  of  age  when  the  death  of  his  valued  mother  de- 
prived him  of  her  watchful  care.  The  anxious  concern 
of  John  Fothergill  for  his  youthful  charge  was  deeply 
impressed  on  his  son,  who,  in  after  years,  spoke  of  his 
lively  recollection  of  his  venerable  father,  who,  with  a 
child  on  each  knee  and  others  standing  before  him,  was 
accustomed  to  bestow  upon  them  his  tender  counsel, 
while  the  tears  falling  from  his  cheeks  manifested  the 
deptt  of  his  feelings. 

Of  Samuel's  early  youth  but  few  particulars  are 
known.  He  attended  school  with  his  brother  John  at 
Briggflats,  near  Sedberg,  and  passed  some  time  with  his 
maternal  uncle,  Thomas  Hough,  under  whose  care  he 
was  placed  when  his  father  was  absent  from  home  on 
religious  service.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  was  ap- 
prenticed as  a  shopkeeper  with  a  Friend  at  Stockport, 
where  hi»  strong  mind  and  active,  volatile  disposition 
caused  his  company  to  be  much  sought  after,  and  early 
introduced  him  into  society  of  an  injurious  and  hurtful 
character,  calculated  to  dissipate  and  eradicate  those 
lessons  of  piety  and  virtue  which  his  worthy  father  had 
earnestly  labored  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  all  his 
children. 

Yielding  to  the  temptations  to  which  he  was  thus  ex- 
posed, Samuel  gave  way  to  the  indulgence  of  his  evil 

2 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL. 


8 


passions,  and,  with  his  new  companions,  abandoned  him 
self  to  the  pursuit  of  folly  and  dissipation.  This  down- 
ward path  he  continued  for  some  time ;  and  the  state 
into  which  it  brought  him,  as  afterward  described  by 
himself,  and  the  view  which  he  subsequently  took  of  his 
condition  at  this  time,  is  striking:  and  affecting;: 

"  I  wandered  far  from  the  garden  enclosed,  and  laid 
myself  open  to  the  enemy  of  my  soul :  I  kept  the  worst 
company,  and  subjected  myself  to  almost  every  tempta- 
tion, broke  through  the  fence  of  the  sacred  enclosure, 
and  trampled  it  under  my  feet ;  and  when,  for  a  time,  I 
found  the  least  inclination  to  do  good,  evil  was  present 
with  me,  and  I  went  on  from  one  degree  of  iniquity  to 
another.  My  wickedness  so  far  increased  with  my  dili- 
gence, that  at  length,  alas!  I  beheld  the  strong  wall 
broken  down,  the  garden  wall  destroyed,  the  mound  left 
defenceless,  and  no  hope  left  of  returning  peace  to  my 
afflicted  soul ! "  .  .  .  "I  strayed  to  that  degree  that  my 
life  became  a  burden  to  me,  and  I  wished  that  I  had 
never  been  born." 

The  downward  course  which  he  thus  pursued  was 
not,  however,  of  long  duration,  nor  was  he  utterly  cast 
off'  nor  forsaken,  even  in  the  midst  of  this  sinful  career. 
Many  were  the  strivings  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth  with  his 
soul,  and  frequent  the  visitations  of  Divine  grace.  He 
says :  "  He  who  had  kindled  breathings  in  my  soul  after 
him  would  [even  then]  sometimes  break  in  upon  me." 

Yet  did  he  continue  for  a  time  to  resist  these  offers 
of  mercy,  and  to  turn  aside  from  the  visitations  of 
Divine  regard,  thus  graciously  continued  to  him  ;  and 
many  were  the  deep  trials  and  conflicts  through  which 
he  passed,  alternately  yielding  and  resisting,  until  at 
length  his  spiritual  state  and  his  danger  were  very  for- 
cibly brought  before  him,  attended  by  a  deep  conviction 
that  these  offers  of  mercy  would  be  no  more  renewed, 
and  that  if  he  now  any  longer  resisted,  the  day  of  his 


4 


SAMUEL     F  OTHER  GILL. 


visitation  would  be  over,  and  his  destruction  ceitain 
and  inevitable.  So  powerful  was  this  impression,  tha«t  it 
brought  him  into  great  trouble  and  distress,  and  caused 
renewed  and  very  earnest  prayers  for  help  and  strength. 

This  help  and  this  strength  were  mercifully  granted, 
and  he  was  enabled  to  maintain  his  ground.  He  was 
now  twenty  years  of  age,  and  the  altered  circumstances 
in  which  he  was  placed  were  favorable  to  the  progress 
of  repentance  and  conversion :  he  had  been  removed 
from  Stockport,  and  had  found  a  shelter  and  a  home  in 
the  family  of  his  brother  Joseph,  at  Warrington ;  here, 
and  in  the  house  of  his  uncle,  Thomas  Hough,  at  Sutton, 
he  had  many  seasons  of  retirement,  peculiarly  favorable 
to  the  present  state  of  his  mind. 

The  intended  departure  of  his  father  for  America,  and 
their  parting  interview,  were  also  conducive  to  his  help. 

Deeply  afflicting  to  John  Fothergill  was  the  past  con- 
duct of  his  son  Samuel :  the  evil  of  his  ways,  and  his 
grievous  departure  from  those  paths  of  truth  and  virtue 
in  which  he  had,  by  long  example  and  often  inculcated 
precept,  endeavored  to  train  all  his  children,  caused  him 
much  sorrow  and  distress.  He  was  now  about  to  em- 
bark for  a  distant  land,  in  the  service  and  cause  of  his 
Lord  and  Master,  and  the  conviction  that  he  was  leaving 
behind  him  a  beloved  son,  for  whose  restoration  and 
welfare  he  had  often  put  up  his  prayers,  and  yet  v/ho 
had  so  deeply  revolted  from  the  law  of  God,  was  as  the 
wormwood  and  the  gall  —  bitter  indeed  to  his  soul. 
Memorable  and  affecting  was  their  last  interview  ;  after 
once  more  imparting  to  his  son  deep  and  impressive 
counsel,  he  took  his  leave  in  these  words:  "And  now, 
son  Samuel,  farewell  I  —  farewell  —  and  unless  it  be  as  a 
changed  man,  I  cannot  say  that  I  have  any  wish  ever  to 
see  thee  again." 

These  parting  expressions,  this  powerful  appeal  from 
a  father  whom,  notwithstanding  his  disobedience,  ho 


SAMUEL  FOTIIERGILL. 


5 


still  tenderly  loved,  uttered  during  what  might  probably 
be  the  last  time  they  should  meet  in  this  life,  together 
with  the  awful  solemnity  and  deep  feeling  with  which 
they  were  accompanied,  produced  a  strong  impression 
upon  him ;  they  remained  as  if  engraven  upon  his  heart, 
and  assisted  to  confirm  and  strengthen  him  in  the  path 
of  repentance  and  conversion  upon  which  he  had  en- 
tered, and  which,  happily  for  him,  he  now  experienced 
to  be  permanent. 

Thus,  yielding  to  the  powerful  convictions  of  Di- 
vine grace,  —  the  Spirit  that  convinceth  of  sin,  of  right- 
eousness, and  of  judgment,  wrought  in  his  heart,  —  he 
came  to  feel  the  terrors  of  the  Lord  for  sin,  and  was 
made  willing  to  abide  under  his  righteous  judgment, 
because  he  had  sinned,  and  so  was  brought  into  a  state 
of  deep  repentance ;  and  as  a  brand  plucked  out  of  the 
burning,  and  as  one  awakened  from  the  sleep  of  death, 
in  due  time,  he  witnessed  a  deliverance  from  the  bond- 
age of  corruption,  and  a  being  created  anew  unto  holi- 
ness, the  end  whereof  is  eternal  life,  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord. 

Some  of  his  feelings  under  the  change  which  had  been 
wrought  in  him  were  communicated  to  his  friends  in 
the  following  letter,  addressed  to  the  Monthly  Meeting 
of  which  he  was  a  member : 

Dear  Friends  :  — 

It  hath  lain  heavy  upon  me  for  some  time  to  write  a 
few  lines  to  you  upon  the  following  subject. 

The  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  his  everlasting  kindness, 
that  hath  long  strove  with  my  soul,  has  been  pleased 
-o  unstop  my  deaf  ear,  that  I  might  hear  him,  the  Shep- 
herd of  his  flock,  and  to  open  my  blind  eyes,  and  let 
me  see  my  state  as  it  really  was,  very  desperate  and  very 
lamentable;  He  has  shown  me  the  dreadful  precipice  I 
was  at  the  brink  of,  and  breathed  into  me  the  breath  of 
1  * 


6 


SAMUEL  F9THEHGILL. 


life,  in  order  that  I  might  arise  from  the  dead  and  live : 
He  has  set  my  sins  in  order  before  me,  and  shown  me 
how  far  I  had  estranged  myself  from  him,  raising  strong 
desires  in  me  to  return  to  him,  the  Eedeemer  of  my 
30ul ;  the  consideration  of  which  has  raised  in  my  heart 
a  just  abhorrence  of  my  former  practices,  that  induces 
me  to  make  this  public  declaration  of  them,  which  I 
desire  to  do  in  a  few  words. 

I  know  my  sins  are  so  many,  and  so  obvious  to  every 
one,  that  it  is  impossible  and  needless  to  recount  and 
remark  upon  them,  for  I  was  then  in  the  bond  of 
iniquity,  though  it  has  pleased  the  Father  of  mercies  to 
bring  me  since  into  the  very  gall  of  bitterness,  and  into 
anxiety  of  soul  inexpressible,  yea,  not  to  be  apprehended 
by  any  but  those  who  have  trod  the  same  path  and 
drunk  of  the  same  cup  ;  yet,  blessed  be  the  name  of  God, 
He  who  hath  kindled  breathings  in  my  soul  after  him, 
would  sometimes  break  in  upon  me,  and  though  the 
waves  of  Jordan  have  gone  over  my  head,  his  support- 
ing arm  was  underneath,  that  I  should  not  be  discour- 
aged. He,  in  his  infinite  love,  has  given  me  to  under- 
stand that  the  things  which  belong  to  my  peace  were 
not  utterly  hid  from  my  eyes;  that  though  I  had  drunk 
up  iniquity  as  an  ox  drinketh  up  water  —  although  I 
had  exceeded  all  others  in  sin,  had  long  done  despite  to 
him,  —  yet  there  was  mercy  with  him  that  he  might  be 
feared. 

Now  would  I  address  myself  to  the  youth  among  you. 
in  a  certain  sense  of  the  Divine  extendings  of  that  love 
wherewith  He  hath  loved  us  do  I  salute  you,  with  sin- 
cere desires  that  that  God  which  visited  our  fathers 
while  aliens  and  strangers  to  him,  may  be  our  God,  that 
we  may  embrace  the  day  of  our  visitation,  and  not  turn 
our  backs  upon  so  great  a  mercy  as  He,  I  am  sensible, 
is  daily  extending.  Oh !  I  have  tasted  of  his  love ;  I 
have  had  to  celebrate  his  name ;  and  though  unfit  for 


SAMUEL    F  0  T  II  E  R  G  I L  L. 


7 


tlic  work,  I  cannot  be  easy,  nor  discharge  my  known 
duty,  without  entreating  you  to  forsake  the  vanities  of 
the  world ;  for  the  end  thereof  is  unavoidable  sorrow, 
and  endless  torment ;  but  happy  are  they  who  give 
timely  application  in  earnestly  seeking  the  Lord,  who 
.will  (I  speak  from  blessed  experience)  be  found  of  those 
who  earnestly  and  diligently  seek  him,  for  He  has  ap- 
peared to  me,  when  I  was  afraid  I  was  forgot,  as  a 
morning  without  clouds,  to  my  exceeding  great  encour- 
agement and  consolation,  and  strengthened  me  in  my 
resolution  to  follow  him  who  has  done  so  much  for  my 
soul. 

Bear  with  me  yet  a  little,  for  I  write  not  my  own 
words;  that  blessed  Saviour  has  laid  it  upon  me,  who  is 
willing  that  all  should  be  saved  and  come  unto  him. 

Let  him,  I  entreat  you,  have  his  perfect  work  in  you ; 
He  will  wash  you,  or  else  you  have  no  share  in  him.  I 
can  truly  say,  that  during  the  time  of  my  first  convic- 
tion, my  lips  quivered  and  my  belly  trembled,  that  my 
soul  might  rest  in  the  day  of  trouble.  I  choose  not  to 
write  this,  but  I  cannot  be  easy  unless  I  call  others  to 
the  like  enjoyment.  In  bowels  of  tender  love  to  you  do 
I  again  salute  you,  and  take  my  leave  of  you,  with  strong 
desires  that  you  who  are  advanced  in  years,  and  favored 
in  the  Lord,  may  remember  me,  when  it  is  well  with 
you  ;  and  that  I  may  be  preserved,  though  beset  with 
many  temptations  on  every  hand.  The  Lord  in  mercy 
be  near  you,  saith  my  soul.  Farewell. 

Samuel  Fothergill. 

Having  largely  witnessed  in  himself  the  redeeming 
power  and  efficacy  of  Divine  grace,  and  known  the  re- 
mission of  past  sins,  and  justification  by  faith,  through 
our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  Samuel  Fothergill, 
very  early  after  his  own  remarkable  conversion,  felt 
powerfully  called  upon  to  communicate  to  others  the 


8 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL. 


gracious  dealings  of  the  Lord  with  his  soul ;  to  tell  them 
of  his  feelings  —  of  what  he  had  so  eminently  known  of 
the  power  and  goodness  of  God,  and  to  incite  them  also 
to  strive  after  a  participation  in  the  same  blessed  ex- 
perience. 

Under  this  Divine  and  powerful  impulse,  and  having 
passed  through  a  preparation  for  the  work,  he  came 
forth  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  about  his  twenty-first 
year,  exercising  the  gift  he  had  therein  received  in  hu- 
mility and  much  fear ;  but  abiding  steadfast  and  faith- 
ful, this  gift  was  enlarged ;  his  growth  in  the  ministry 
was  rapid,  and  he  became  an  eminent  and  favored  ser- 
vant. 

John  Fothergill  was  engaged  in  gospel  labor  among 
Friends  and  others  in  America,  when  the  intelligence 
reached  him  of  a  reformation  in  his  son.  His  heart  was 
filled  with  gratitude  and  thankfulness,  that  the  change 
he  so  earnestly  desired,  and  for  which  he  had  often 
prayed,  was  really  begun.  Yet  hope  was  mingled  with 
fear,  and  he  rejoiced  with  trembling.  Soon  after  his  re- 
turn from  America,  in  the  Fourth  month,  1738,  he  went 
to  the  Quarterly  Meeting  at  York,  which  was  attended 
by  Friends  from  different  parts  of  the  nation. 

Here  he  met  his  son  Samuel.  Tradition  has  handed 
down  a  remarkable  circumstance  connected  with  this, 
their  first  interview,  since  the  return  of  the  father  to 
England.  It  is  said  that,  from  some  unexpected  circum- 
stance, John  Fothergill  did  not  arrive  in  York  until  the 
morning  of  the  day  of  the  meeting,  and  that  it  was  late 
when  he  entered  the  meeting-house:  after  a  short  period 
of  silence  he  stood  up,  and  appeared  in  testimony ;  but 
after  he  had  proceeded  a  short  time,  he  stopped,  and  in- 
formed the  meeting  that  his  way  was  closed ;  that  what 
he  had  before  him  was  taken  away,  and  was,  he  believed, 
given  to  another.  He  resumed  his  seat,  and  another 
Friend  immediately  rose,  and  taking  up  the  subject,  en- 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL. 


9 


larged  upon  it  in  a  weighty  and  impressive  testimony, 
delivered  with  great  power.  It  is  added,  that  at  the  close 
of  the  meeting  John  Fothergill  inquired  who  the  Friend 
was  that  had  been  so  remarkably  engaged  among  them, 
and  was  informed  that  it  was  his  own  son  Samuel. 

Their  thus  meeting:  together,  under  circumstances  so 
different  from  those  in  which  their  last  memorable  inter- 
view had  taken  place,  previous  to  John  Fothergill's  de- 
parture from  England,  was  peculiarly  moving  and  affect- 
ing to  both.  The  son  then  in  a  state  of  rebellion  and 
alienation  from  good  —  now  become  "changed"  indeed, 
and  a  fellow-laborer  with  his  father  in  the  ministry  of 
the  gospel,  powerfully  advocating  and  enforcing  those 
great  and  solemn  truths  he  had  formerly  neglected  and 
trodden  down,  and  engaged  earnestly  to  beseech  others 
to  become,  as  he  was,  reconciled  unto  God. 

The  father  received  his  son  as  one  restored  from  the 
spiritually  dead,  and  wept  and  rejoiced  over  him  with  no 
common  joy. 

In  the  Sixth  month,  1738,  he  was  married  to  Susanna 
Croudson,  of  Warrington,  a  valued  minister  in  the  So- 
ciety. She  was  some  years  older  than  himself,  and  by 
her  religious  experience,  and  the  advice  and  judicious 
encouragement  which  were  early  extended,  she  was 
made  peculiarly  helpful  to  him.  The  friendship  which 
had  existed  between  them  had  its  origin  in  the  sym- 
pathy she  manifested  for  him,  and  the  care  with  which 
she  had  watched  over  his  repentance  and  desires  after  a 
religious  life. 

The  union  thus  formed,  based  upon  the  surest  founda- 
tion, proved  a  happy  one.  They  lived  together  in  true 
harmony  and  religious  fellowship,  being  helpers  to  each 
other  in  their  various  religious  exercises  and  engage- 
ments; she  cheerfully  setting  him  at  liberty,  and  en- 
couraging him  in  the  many  services  to  which  he  was 
frequently  called. 


10 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL. 


Early  in  the  year  1740,  Samuel  Fothergill,  Laving 
received  the  approbation  of  the  meeting  to  which  he 
belonged,  was  engaged  in  a  religious  visit  in  the  north 
of  Yorkshire  and  Durham.  While  on  this  journey,  he 
met,  at  Lancaster,  with  James  Gough,  of  Ireland,  in 
whose  journal  the  circumstance  is  thus  mentioned  : 

"Here  I  met  with  Samuel  Fothergill,  then  young  in 
the  ministry,  but  even  then  appearing  with  that  solem- 
nity, brightness,  and  gospel  authority  as  gave  Friends 
lively  hopes  of  his  proving,  as  he  did,  through  the  suc- 
cessive stages  of  his  life,  a  bright  and  shining  light;  a 
vessel  of  honor  indeed;  of  eminent  service  in  the  church 
ql  Christ." 

Samuel  Fothergill  had  early  attained  to  a  high  and 
settled  standing  as  a  minister ;  and  his  faithfulness  and 
diligence  were  manifested  not  only  in  those  more  ex- 
tended services  which  he  performed  with  the  certificate 
of  the  monthly  meeting,  and  in  the  regular  attendance 
of  and  services  in  the  meetings  for  worship  and  for  dis- 
cipline, of  which  he  was  strictly  a  member,  but  he  also 
very  frequently  visited  those  of  the  adjacent  or  more 
distant  counties.  His  company  was  much  solicited,  and 
very  often  given,  at  funerals,  and  on  other  public  occa- 
sions. The  practice  of  attending  at  such  times,  even  at 
a  considerable  distance,  being  much  more  common  in  his 
day  than  it  has  become  of  later  years. 

As  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  he  considered  it  a  part  of 
his  Christian  duty,  under  the  leading  and  guidance  of 
his  Divine  Master,  to  make  use  of  every  occasion  in  his 
power  to  advocate  and  promote  the  cause  of  truth  and 
righteousness;  to  this  he  was  devoted  —  to  this  he  gave 
up  much  of  his  time  and  his  substance  —  and  to  this  he 
was  ever  ready  to  sacrifice  his  ease  and  his  strength ; 
great  was  his  zeal,  and  it  frequently  led  him  into  much 
exertion  and  fatigue,  whereby  his  bodily  powers  were 
greatly  exhausted. 


SAMUEL    F  0  T II  E  R  G I L  L. 


11 


He  was  possessed  of  good  natural  abilities,  which  had 
been  improved  by  cultivation,  and  was  well  read  both  in 
books  and  men.  These  qualities,  combined  with  a  re- 
tentive memory  and  an  observing  mind,  rendered  his 
conversation  cheerful  and  instructive,  attractive  to  all, 
and  to  the  youth  in  particular.  With  them  he  frequently 
indulged  in  an  innocent  pleasantry,  mingled  with  in- 
struction. For  this  class  he  always  felt  much  interest,  and 
whether  in  the  freedom  of  social  conversation,  or  in  dis- 
coursing on  the  important  concerns  appertaining  to  life 
and  salvation,  or  in  the  exercise  of  his  gift  as  a  minister, 
he  was  ever  particularly  led  into  sympathy  and  feeling 
for  them  and  concerned  to  promote  their  welfare. 

The  year  1754  is  memorable  in  the  life  of  Samuel 
Fothergill,  as  being  that  in  which  he  left  his  native  land 
to  engage  in  the  long  and  laborious  service  of  a  religious 
visit  to  the  provinces  of  North  America.  The  unfold- 
ings  upon  his  mind  of  this  important  duty,  and  the  de- 
sire that  he  might  rightly  engage  in  the  performance  of 
it,  are  shown  in  the  following  extracts  from  his  journal: 

''It  having  been  weightily  upon  my  mind  ...  to  pay 
a  religious  visit  to  the  church  of  Christ  in  the  plantations 
V)f  North  America ;  after  near  ten  years  from  the  first 
opening  thereof,  and  many  painful  tossings,  with  fear  on 
one  hand  of  running  unsent,  and  on  the  other,  a  reverent 
care  not  to  slight  the  requirings  of  that  Holy  Being  who 
has  a  right  to  command  in  earth  as  well  as  in  heaven,  I 
found  it  clearly  opened  when  was  the  proper  time,  and  a 
disposition  of  spirit  was  given  me  to  acquiesce  with 
Truth's  requirings,  and  endeavor  to  act  honestly 
thereto." 

He  left  London  the  9th  of  Eighth  month  in  company 
with  John  Churchman,  who  was  returning  to  America 
after  religious  labors  in  England,  and  was  favored  with 
a  comfortable  passage  of  about  six  weeks.  He  remained 
in  this  country  twenty-one  months,  and  was  actively  eix- 

I  • 


12 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL. 


gaged  in  visiting  Friends  inhabiting  the  provinces  gen- 
erally, from  New  England  to  Georgia.  In  travelling 
through  the  South,  his  companion,  Israel  Pemberton, 
and  himself  were  at  times  obliged  to  spend  the  night  in 
the  woods,  where  the  foot  of  the  white  man  seldom  trod. 
In  a  letter  to  his  wife,  from  Charleston  S.  C,  he  says : 

"  On  the  2d  instant,  after  a  ride  of  fifty  miles,  we  were 
obliged  to  lie  in  the  woods  all  night,  and  though  the 
scene  was  unusual  and  the  night  pretty  cold,  I  do  not 
find  I  have  got  any  cold,  or  am  any  way  disordered  by 
it,  being  fully  sensible  'Sufficient  is  the  day  for  the 
evil  thereof.' 

"I  am  humbly  thankful  to  the  Lord  Almighty  for  all 
his  mercies,  among  which  I  esteem  it  a  singular  one  to 
be  enabled  patiently  to  bear  a  separation  from  thee, 
which  at  first  seemed  like  a  most  painful  division ;  and 
although  no  time  of  our  being  united  together  has 
passed  in  which  thou  wast  dearer  to  me,  or  my  affec- 
tions stronger  than  at  this  time,  yet  I  am  comfortably 
easy,  in  hopes  we  may  afresh  be  favored  with  a  personal 
reunion.  May  the  Shepherd  of  Israel  be  our  keeper, 
and  his  everlasting  dew  rest  long  upon  our  branches." 

During  a  visit  paid  to  a  few  Friends  scattered  in  the 
back  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  they  had  to  endure  much 
hardship,  were  sometimes  obliged  to  pass  the  night  in 
the  woods,  having  the  sky  for  their  canopy,  their  travel- 
ling cloaks  for  covering,  and  using  their  saddles  for 
pillows.  Late  one  night,  they  arrived  at  a  solitary 
house,  in  a  lonely  place ;  here  they  requested  lodgings 
for  the  night,  which  were  granted.  They  found  that  the 
house  and  extensive  farm  around  it  belonged  to  an  in- 
dividual, the  mistress  of  many  servants  employed  upon 
the  land  ;  she  was  of  masculine  character,  and  strong 
powers  of  mind,  but  of  an  unregenerate  heart,  much 
under  the  influence  of  unsubdued  passions,  and  greatly 
addicted  to  profane  swearing.    Samuel  Fothergill  told 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL. 


13 


his  companion,  that  from  what  he  had  observed,  he 
thought  her  the  most  wicked  woman  he  had  ever  seen. 
She  nevertheless  treated  them  with  civility,  and  even 
kindness.  The  situation  of  the  family,  with  such  a 
character  for  its  head,  caused  some  exercise  of  mind  to 
Samuel,  and  in  the  morning  he  requested  that  the  house- 
hold might  be  collected,  and  that  they  might  sit  down 
together  ;  this  was  complied  with,  and  the  whole  family 
was  assembled.  He  addressed  them  in  a  remarkable 
manner,  and  in  particular  he  was  led  to  lay  open  the 
wickedness  of  the  human  heart  in  its  unregenerate  state, 
and  the  awful  consequences  of  remaining  in  such  a  state; 
his  language  and  expressions  were  so  powerful  that  the 
mistress  of  the  house  was  greatly  affected,  her  spirit  was 
broken,  and  she  wept  much. 

After  this,  feeling  at  liberty,  the  Friends  prepared  to 
depart ;  they  took  leave  of  the  family,  and  desired  to  pay 
for  their  entertainment.  She  refused  to  accept  anything, 
but  said  they  were  quite  welcome  to  everything  they 
had  had;  adding  that  she  was  unworthy  to  receive  such 
guests  under  her  roof;  and  so  powerfully  had  the  word 
preached  wrought  upon  her  heart,  that  she  exclaimed, 
"  You  are  angels,  but  I  am  a  devil ! " 

In  several  of  his  letters,  mention  was  made  of  the 
alarm  which  then  prevailed  on  account  of  the  inroads 
made  by  the  Indians  on  the  back  settlements  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  some  neighboring  States.  It  was  a  time 
of  war  between  England  and  France,  and  the  French 
authorities  in  Canada  had  engaged  some  of  the  Indian 
tribes  in  this  warfare. 

The  city  of  Philadelphia,  in  particular,  was  in  a  state 
of  much  excitement;  the  defeat  and  death  of  General 
Braddock,  the  devastations  committed  by  the  Indians, 
and  the  fear  that  they  and  their  allies  might  even  attack 
the  city  itself,  caused  great  and  general  alarm. 

Friends  were  under  an  exercise  of  mind,  not  only  that 
2 


14 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL. 


all  the  members  of  the  Society  might  be  kept  quiet  and 
faithful  in  support  of  its  testimony  against  all  war,  but 
were  also  much  engaged  in  interceding  and  making 
efforts  with  the  Government  and  with  the  Indian  chiefs, 
with  whom  they  had  great  influence,  to  prevent  a  gen- 
eral Indian  warfare.  Another  cause  of  anxiety  was  an 
impost  or  war  tax,  which  the  Assembly  had  laid  upon 
the  inhabitants,  by  which  Friends  were  brought  into 
considerable  difficulty. 

Samuel  Fothergill,  as  was  often  acknowledged,  was 
very  helpful  to  Friends  under  these  circumstances ;  aid- 
ing them  with  his  counsel,  and  frequently  engaged  in 
earnest  exhortations  for  all  to  remain  faithful  in  support 
of  their  Christian  testimony.  "  If  the  potsherds  of  the 
earth  clash  together,  let  them  clash!"  was  his  language; 
and  his  charge  in  particular  to  Friends  was  to  abide  in 
their  tents,  and  not  so  much  as  to  look  outward,  but  to 
avoid  and  keep  clear  of  everything  contrary  to  the  peace- 
able spirit  of  the  gospel  of  Christ ;  and  thus  to  show 
themselves  His  true  disciples.  He  joined  with  several 
other  Friends  in  signing  and  issuing  at  this  time  an 
epistle  of  advice  and  caution.  He  also  united  with 
Friends  in  their  efforts  to  preserve  the  peace  of  the 
colony,  and  in  particular  to  prevent  the  Indians  from 
becoming  engaged  in  the  war.  These  efforts  were  fre- 
quent  and  strenuous,  but  proved  unavailing.  In  his 
journal  are  the  following  entries : 

"Fourth  month  9th,  1756.  —  Had  some  labor  amongst 
Friends,  to  endeavor  to  prevent  a  cruel  Indian  war ;  and 
had  also  a  conference  with  the  present  and  late  Governor, 
along  with  J.  P.  [John  Pemberton],  upon  the  present 
posture  of  affairs ;  they  received  us  with  candor,  but  our 
labor  was  ineffectual,  for  on  the 

"  10th,  a  day  to  be  remembered  through  many  gen- 
erations with  sorrow,  the  Governor  agreed  to  proclaim 


B  A  M  UEL    F  0  TH BR  G  ILL. 


15 


war  against  the  Delawares,  and  delivered  the  hatchet 
into  the  hands  of  some  of  the  Indians." 

This  conclusion,  on  the  part  of  the  Government,  was 
the  source  of  much  distress  to  Friends  in  general,  and 
S.  Fothergill  largely  partook  of  it.  He,  Catharine  Pay- 
ton,  and  Mary  Peisley,  during  one  of  their  earlier  visits 
to  Philadelphia,  were  in  that  city  when  the  first  soldiers, 
who  had  received  their  commission  from  the  English 
government,  arrived  there,  under  the  command  of  Gen- 
eral Braddock.  The  circumstance  excited  considerable 
attention,  and  is  thus  mentioned  by  C.  Pay  ton,  in  her 
journal : 

"I  said  a  cloud  of  darkness  came  with  them.  The 
Lord  had  settled  this  colony  by  peaceable  means ;  he 
hath  hitherto  protected  it  by  his  own  Almighty  arm, 
and  it  prospered  greatly  ;  but  henceforward  disunion 
and  disturbance  prevailed  and  increased  in  it.  Our 
friend,  as  well  as  we,  were  strongly  and  affectionately 
engaged  to  promote  peace,  and  guard  them  against  the 
event,  which  he  feared  would  ensue,  and  which  in  time 
followed/' 

Feeling  released  from  the  further  prosecution  of  his 
gospel  labors,  he  sailed  for  home  in  the  Sixth  month, 
1756.  On  shipboard,  he  wrote  to  his  friend,  John 
Churchman,  as  follows : 

"  I  have  taken  my  leave  of  America  with  peace  and 
quietude  of  mind.  I  have  some  sea  store,  but  not  to 
profusion.  I  beg  wisdom  to  husband  it  well,  that  I  mav 
carry  some  of  it  home,  and  know  it  blessed  when  I  come 
there." 

"I  boast  not  of  my 'growth,  for  I  have  not  overgrown 
a  variety  of  painful  weaknesses.  I  am  easy  with  a  solid 
review  of  my  journey,  and  believe  I  shall  very  frequently 
remember  many  of  you  in  love  unfeisrned." 

Thus  concluded,  with  that  reward  he  had  so  earnestly 
desired,  and  so  diligent! v  sought,  the  visit  of  Samuel 


16 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL. 


Fothergill  to  America  —  a  visit,  during  which  hs  had 
faithfully  and  honestly  labored,  and  wherein  he  spake 
diligently  the  things  of  the  Lord ;  he  had  taught  pub- 
licly, and  from  house  to  house,  and  had  not  shunned  to 
declare  all  the  counsel  of  God. 

To  many  in  this  land  he  had  become  bound  by  the 
strong  ties  of  Christian  love  ;  this  bond  was  mutual,  and 
terminated  but  with  life  itself. 

The  vessel  in  which  the  Friends  embarked  had  a  com- 
paratively quick,  though  rather  a  stormy  passage  of 
thirty -four  days.  The  waves,  at  times,  dashed  over  into 
the  cabin.  Notwithstanding  the  stormy  weather,  they 
had  many  good  and  precious  meetings  during  the  voy- 
age, some  of  which  were  attended  by  the  master  and 
sailors. 

It  being  a  time  of  war,  several  French  privateers  were 
in  the  Irish  channel ;  they  were  favored  to  avoid  these, 
and  to  arrive  in  safety  at  Dublin  on  the  9th  of  the 
Seventh  month,  1756. 

His  firm  belief  in  the  great  doctrines  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  as  held  by  the  religious  Society  of  which 
he  was  a  member,  and  his  entire  conviction  of  the  truth 
and  propriety  of  the  various  testimonies  of  the  Soci- 
ety, and  of  their  accordance  with  the  doctrines  and  pre- 
cepts of  the  New  Testament,  were  not  in  him  the  result 
of  education  or  tradition.  He  had  diligently  examined 
for  himself  the  grounds  upon  which  they  rested ;  by 
this  examination,  and  the  thorough  conviction  which  it 
produced  upon  his  mind,  he  was  well  enabled,  through 
the  grace  and  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  recommend  and 
to  explain  these  principles,  to  advocate  them  as  occasions 
arose,  and  to  defend  them  when  questioned  or  attacked. 

This  full  acquaintance  with  the  principles  of  the  So- 
ciety, and  his  well-known  ability  to  explain  and  enforce 
them,  together  with  the  eminent  station  which  he  occu- 
pied as  a  minister,  caused  frequent  applications  to  be 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL. 


17 


made  to  kirn  for  advice  and  assistance ;  it  introduced  him 
into  much  correspondence,  and  an  extended  care  over 
many  parts  of  the  Society.  His  usefulness  was  not  con- 
fined to  those  with  whom  he  was  associated  in  religious 
fellowship  ;  his  enlarged  ideas  of  philanthropy  and  inter- 
est in  the  future  welfare  of  his  fellow-beings  led  him  to 
watch  that  opportunities  for  doing  good  might  not  pass 
unimproved.  During  the  winter  of  1756  there  was  much 
distress  among  the  poor  in  Warrington,  as  well  as  in 
many  other  places,  owing  to  the  high  price  of  provisions 
and  insufficient  employment :  the  sufferings  of  his  neigh- 
bors excited  the  compassion  of  Samuel  Fothergill,  and 
he  wrote  an  address,  in  which  he  adverted  also  to  the 
circumstance  of  the  town  being  then  encumbered  with 
a  company  of  itinerant  stage-players. 

The  address  was  published,  and  effected  the  removal 
of  those  people  from  the  town,  and  caused  a  subscription 
to  be  raised  for  the  relief  of  the  suffering  part  of  the  in- 
habitants. 

In  the  Sixth  month,  1757,  he  attended  the  Quarterly 
Meeting  at  York,  and  the  following  circumstance  is  re- 
lated of  him.  He  had  been  largely  engaged  in  the  min- 
istry, and  was  at  that  time  in  great  repute  among  Friends 
everywhere ;  his  company  was  much  sought,  and  many 
appeared  to  strive  who  should  show  him  the  most  atten- 
tion. He  was  earnestly  pressed  to  stay  and  attend  the 
meetings  on  the  ensuing  First  day.  An  aged  woman 
from  the  country,  a  plain,  honest  Friend,  believing  him 
to  be  in  some  danger  from  the  caresses  of  the  people, 
took  him  aside,  and  repeated  the  passage,  "  When  Jesus 
therefore  perceived  that  they  would  come  and  take  him  by 
force  to  make  him  a  king,  he  departed  again  into  a  moun- 
tain himself  alone."  S.  Fothergill  saw  the  force  and  wis- 
dom of  the  advice ;  he  took  his  horse,  and  quietly  de- 
parted toward  home;  and  when  afterward  adverting 


18 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL. 


to  the  circumstance,  he  always  spoke  of  it  as  an  ex 
eel  lent  admonition. 

Prompted  by  a  hope  of  benefiting  his  health  and  by 
the  stronger  motive  of  religious  duty,  he  was  accustom- 
ed to  visit  Scarborough,  which  place  was  frequented 
during  the  season  by  many  of  the  nobility  and  higher 
classes.  They  frequently  attended  the  meetings  of 
Friends,  and  Samuel  Fothergill  was  often  largely  en- 
gaged in  the  ministry  on  these  occasions.  During  one 
such  visit,  he  observed  that  Admiral  Tyrrel  attended 
several  of  these  meetings,  and  took  particular  notice  of 
the  solemnity  and  reverence  of  the  Admiral's  behavior 
during  the  meetings,  especially  in  the  time  of  silence. 
One  morning  the  Admiral  came  up  to  Samuel,  in  the 
public  room,  before  many  of  the  nobility  and  gentry, 
and  said:  "Mr.  Fothergill,  I  have  a  very  high  opinion 
of  your  people's  principles  and  practices,  especially  the 
inwardness  and  spirituality  of  your  silent  worship." 
Samuel  replied:  "Admiral,  I  think  such  a  testimony 
from  thee,  as  a  man  of  war,  rather  extraordinary,  con- 
cerning us  and  our  principles,  which  are  for  peace,  and 
against  all  fighting."  The  other  answered  :  "Sir,  lam 
of  your  opinion  in  that  particular,  and  fully  believe  that 
the  time  will  come  when  nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword 
against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  ivar  any  more  ;  but 
as  every  dispensation  of  unerring  wisdom  must  have 
a  beginning,  so  this  has  had  one  amongst  you,  but  has 
not  yet  reached  us  •  and  as  to  what  you  hold  of  a  union 
and  communion  with  the  Divine  Intelligence,  I  know, 
by  happy  experience,  it  is  attainable  in  this  life. " 

In  1765  he  retired  from  business  altogether.  His 
trade  was  that  of  a  tea-dealer,  with  which  he  combined 
some  other  articles ;  and  he  had  occasionally  mercantile 
transactions  with  America,  sending  out  thither  manu- 
factured goods,  and  importing  the  produce  of  that 
country. 


SAMUEL  FOTIIERGILL. 


19 


Although  in  feeble  health,  he  attended  the  Yearly 
Meeting  in  London,  in  1768 ;  and  is  thus  mentioned  by 
a  Friend,  who  also  attended  that  meeting : 

"  Samuel  Fothergill  came  to  town  this  week  ;  he  is 
indeed  greatly  altered.  I  apprehend  he  will  be  able  to 
attend  the  meetings  but  little.  .  .  .  He  was  present  this 
afternoon,  and  had  a  very  fine  and  high  opportunity, 
after  the  answers  to  the  queries  were  gone  through,  on 
the  state  of  the  Society  and  the  duty  of  individuals. 
He  is  much  more  altered  than  I  could  suppose.  Unless 
he  gets  better,  his  public  service  will  be  much  lessened. 
He  has  a  hollow  cough,  hoarse,  and  appears  very  feeble." 

From  the  year  1768  to  the  close  of  his  life,  the  health  of 
Samuel  Fothergill  became  more  and  more  precarious ; 
the  attacks  of  his  complaint  were  more  severe,  and  re- 
turned at  shorter  intervals,  leaving  him  on  each  succeed- 
ing occasion  much  reduced  in  strength.  The  effect  pro- 
duced upon  his  mind  by  these  repeated  trials  was  a  still 
larger  growth  in  experience,  in  humility,  and  patience. 
It  was  the  frequent  remark  of  his  friends,  upon  his  re- 
assembling with  them  in  their  religious  meetings  after 
these  afflictions,  that  while  his  ministry  was  more  and 
more  bright  and  instructive,  humility  was  also  the  cloth- 
ing of  his  spirit,  and  that  he  came  forth  from  these  pain- 
ful seasons  as  one  refined  in  the  furnace. 

In  the  Tenth  month,  1771,  upon  his  return  from  the  last 
Quarterly  Meeting  at  Lancaster  which  he  attended,  S. 
Fothergill  was  seized  with  an  alarming  illness.  His  dis 
ease,  and  the  painful  symptoms  attending  it,  increasing, 
his  strength  diminished ;  and  it  became  obvious,  toward 
the  middle  of  the  year  1772,  that  his  end  was  approach- 
ing. In  a  solemn  and  affecting  interview  with  some  of 
his  relations,  who  were  about  to  set  out  to  attend  the 
Yearly  Meeting  in  London,  he  addressed  them  in  tho 
following  expressions : 

u  Our  health  is  no  more  at  our  command  than  length 


20 


SAMUEL  FOTHERGILL. 


of  days ,  mine  seems  drawing  fast  toward  a  conclusion, 
I  think ;  but  I  am  content  with  every  allotment  of  Prov- 
idence, for  they  are  all  in  wisdom — unerring  wisdom. 
There  is  That  which,  as  an  arm  underneath,  bears  up 
and  supports  ;  and  though  the  rolling,  tempestuous  bil- 
lows surround,  yet  my  head  is  kept  above  them,  and 
my  feet  are  firmly  established.  Oh !  seek  it,  press  after 
it,  lay  fast  hold  of  it.  Though  painful  my  nights  and 
wearisome  my  days,  yet  I  am  preserved  in  patience  and 
resignation.  Death  has  no  terrors,  nor  will  the  grave 
have  any  victory.  My  soul  triumphs  over  death,  hell, 
and  the  grave.  Husbands  and  wives,  parents  and  chil- 
dren, health  and  riches,  must  all  go. " 

He  made  the  following  observations  to  a  friend :  — "  I 
have  labored  while  I  was  able,  and  it  is  now  my  comfort. 
It  is  not  only  the  washing  of  regeneration,  but  the  re- 
newing—  the  renewing  —  the  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  that  makes  men  and  women  for  God." 

Every  remedy  and  application  which  the  eminent  skill 
and  long  experience  of  his  affectionate  brother,  Dr.  Fother- 
gill  could  suggest,  were  exerted  for  his  help  and  restora- 
tion, but  in  vain.  He  departed  this  life,  at  his  house  in 
"Warrington,  on  the  15th  of  the  Sixth  month,  1772,  in  the 
fifty-seventh  year  of  his  age  and  the  thirty-sixth  of  his 
ministry. 

His  remains  were  interred  in  Friends'  burying-ground, 
at  Penketh,  on  the  nineteenth  of  the  same  month.  The 
love  which  many  bore  to  him,  and  the  respect  in  which 
he  was  held,  were  testified  by  a  very  large  attendance 
of  friends  and  neighbors,  of  all  ranks  and  classes,  on 
the  occasion.  The  solemnity  of  it  was  great,  and  it  was 
favored  by  the  overshadowing  of  Divine  love,  and  by 
a  large  degree  of  that  power  which  had  supported  him 
in  life,  and  had  so  eminently  attended  him  in  his  labois 
as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ. 


No.  116. 


"  Because  of  Swearing  the  Land  Mourneth." 


MOSES,  the  Servant  and  Prophet  of  the  Most  High,  saith, 
"  Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God 
in  vain :  for  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guiltless  that  taketh 
his  name  in  vain." 

Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of 
the  world,  saith,  "Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said  by 
:hem  of  old  time,  Thou  shalt  not  forswear  thyself,  but  shalt 
perform  unto  the  Lord  thine  oaths:  but  I  say  unto  you,  Swear 
not  at  all ;  neither  by  heaven ;  for  it  is  God's  throne :  nor  by 
the  earth ;  for  it  is  his  footstool :  neither  by  Jerusalem ;  for  it  is 
the  city  of  the  great  king.  Neither  shalt  thou  swear  by  thy 
head,  because  thou  canst  not  make  one  hair  white  or  black. 
But  let  your  communication  be,  Yea,  yea;  Nay,  nay;  for 
whatsoever  is  more  than  these  cometh  of  evil." 

James,  a  servant  of  God  and  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
saith,  "  But  above  all  things,  my  brethren,  swear  not,  neither 
by  heaven,  neither  by  the  earth,  neither  by  any  other  oath : 
but  let  your  yea  be  yea,  and  your  nay,  nay ;  lest  ye  fall  into 
condemnation." 

"Blessed  are  they  that  do  his  commandments,  that  they 
may  have  right  to  the  tree  of  life?  and  may  enter  in  through 
the  gates  into  the  city." — Rev.  xxii.  14. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  304  Arch  8t.(  Philadelphia, 


No.  117. 

WHAT  IS  IT? 


What  is  it,  my  little  boys  and  girls,  that  causes  you  to  feel 
uneasy  and  unhappy  when  you  have  done  wrong?  And  what 
is  it  that  brings  such  happy,  joyous  and  innocent  feelings  to 
your  hearts  when  you  have  done  that  which  is  right,  or 
turned  away  from  evil?  It  is  nothing  less  than  the  Spirit  of 
the  Almighty  God,  who  is  all  purity,  and  cannot  dwell  with 
the  evil  without  testifying  against  it.  Listen  to  this  voice 
and  obey  it,  and  it  will  lead  you  safely  to  Heaven  ;  turn 
away  from  it,  and  it  will  turn  away  from  you,  and  the  evil 
one  will  lead  you  down  to  the  chambers  of  death.  The  Spirit 
of  God  strives  with  the  children  of  men  to  draw  them  to  that 
glorious  Heavenly  home  where  our  blessed  Redeemer,  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  laid  down  his  life  to  save  us  from  our 
sins,  has  gone  before  to  prepare  a  place  for  his  children. 
Here  is  an  anecdote  that  will  illustrate  this  for  you : — 
At  one  time,  many  years  ago,  a  little  boy  had  been  un- 
willing to  yield  to  his  mother's  wishes.  He  desired  to  have 
his  own  way  and  go  with  some  rude  company,  and  he  had 
spoken  unkindly  to  her  in  regard  to  it.  When  night  came 
the  good  Spirit  in  his  heart  reminded  him  of  his  improper 
behavior  to  his  careful  mother,  and  caused  him  to  feel  uneasy. 
He  could  not  sleep ;  there  seemed  to  be  thorns  in  his  pillow, 
and  he  turned  it  over  and  over  to  make  it  feel  comfortable. 
But  all  this  would  not  do ;  the  trouble  was  in  his  own  con- 
science. The  Holv  Spirit  was  pleading  with  him  to  go  and 
ask  his  mother's  forgiveness.    At  last  it  prevailed,  and  he 


2 


WHAT   IS  IT? 


crept  quietly  to  his  mother's  room  and  acknowledge  his  un- 
kindness,  and  sought  her  pardon.  She  clasped  him  in  her 
arms  and  pressed  a  kiss  upon  his  cheek.  This  was  a  turning- 
point  in  the  little  boy's  life,  and  ever  afterwards  he  was  more 
dutiful  and  respectful  to  his  widowed  mother ;  and  he  grew  up 
to  be  a  good  and  virtuous  man. 

This,  dear  children,  is  the  effect  of  listening  to  that  inward 
monitor  which  is  given  to  every  man  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth,  to  convict  him  of  sin  and  to  lead  him  away  from  it. 

Oh,  young  man  and  young  woman !  The  voice  of  God  is 
pleading  with  you,  too,  to  lead  you  out  from  the  follies  and 
fashions  of  this  world,  and  to  draw  you  to  sit  down  at  the  feet 
of  Jesus,  as  Mary  did  of  old,  that  you  may  learn  the  way  of 
life  and  salvation.  The  language  formerly  was,  and  still  is, 
unto  you,  "  Come  out  from  among  them,  and  be  ye  separate, 
saith  the  Lord,  and  touch  not  the  unclean  thing ;  and  I  will 
receive  you,  and  will  be  a  Father  unto  you ;  and  ye  shall  be 
my  sons  and  daughters,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty."  It  is  also 
said  in  holy  writ,  "  They  that  observe  lying  vanities,  forsake 
their  own  mercy."  Let  not  this  be  said  of  you,  that  ye  for- 
sook your  own  mercies  to  taste  the  short-lived  pleasures  of  sin. 
Nothing  willfully  satisfy  the  cravings  of  an  immortal  soul  but 
the  Spirit  of  the  living  God  revealing  himself  within  that 
soul,  and  so  giving  it  eternal  life. 

Many  years  since,  a  young  woman  queried  thus  with  her- 
self :  "  What  is  that  I  feel  which  condemneth  me  when  I  do 
evil,  and  justifieth  me  when  I  do  well?  What  is  it?"  She 
knew  not ;  and  in  this  state  of  mind  she  went  to  a  large 
public  meeting  of  Friends.  That  man  of  God,  George  Fox, 
was  present,  and  soon  stood  up  with  the  w'ords,  "Who  art 
thou  that  queriest  in  thy  mind,  What  is  it  which  I  feel  which 
condemneth  me  when  I  do  evil,  and  justifieth  me  when  I  do 
well  ?  I  will  tell  thee  what  it  is ;  Lo !  He  that  formeth  the 
mountains  and  createth  the  wind,  and  declareth  unto  man 
what  are  his  thoughts;  that  maketh  the  morning  darkness, 
that  treadeth  upon  the  high  places  of  the  earth;  the  Lord,  the 
( rod  of  Hosts  is  his  name.    It  is  He,  by  his  Spirit,  that  con- 


WHAT   IS  IT? 


3 


demneth  thee  for  evil,  and  justifieth  thee  when  thou  doest 
well.  Keep  under  its  dictates,  and  it  will  be  thy  preserver  to 
the  end."  This  woman,  at  the  peaceful  close  of  a  long  life, 
declared  that,  "  It  was  the  truth,  the  very  truth,  and  I  have 
never  departed  from  it." 

If  it  is  the  truth,  the  very  truth,  that  the  Mighty  God,  the 
Everlasting  Father,  the  Creator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
speaks  in  secret  whispers  unto  the  souls  of  the  children  of 
men,  wooing  them  from  the  impure  fountains  of  this  world  to 
the  everlasting  fountain  of  life,  calling  them  from  the  path  of 
sin  and  self-pleasing  unto  the  path  of  holiness,  how  important 
is  it  that  they  should  listen  attentively  to  this  secret  heavenly 
influence !  Our  blessed  Lord  and  Saviour  said,  "  Behold,  I 
stand  at  the  door,  and  knock ;  if  any  man  hear  my  voice,  and 
open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him, 
and  he  with  me/'  And  also,  "Him  that  overcometh  will  I 
make  a  pillar  in  the  temple  of  my  God,  and  he  shall  go  no 
more  out."  Oh,  hear  the  pleadings  of  this  voice !  Oh,  listen 
to  it  and  obey !  There  is  no  other  way  ;  there  is  no  other  path 
of  safety !  If  ye  cherish  it,  it  will  lead  vou  safely.  If  ye  for- 
sake it,  it  will  forsake  you. 

And  ye  men  of  the  world,  and  women  of  fashion !  How  is 
it  that  there  is  a  secret  uneasiness  in  your  souls,  a  certain  un- 
definable  unrest  and  disquiet,  as  though  you  had  no  anchor? 
Your  hearts  desire  a  rest,  and  hunger  for  something  substan- 
tial, something  enduring,  something  that  will  go  with  you 
beyond  the  grave ;  and  ye  seek,  but  ye  cannot  find  it  in  the 
enjoyments  in  this  world.  Our  Father  in  Heaven  has  so 
created  mankind,  that  nothing  earthly  can  supply  that  want, 
bat  void  in  the  soul ;  nothing  but  his  own  eternal  presence 
can  do  it.  Acquaint  thyself  with  God  and  be  at  peace,  ir?  the 
Divine  command.  This  unrest  and  these  secret  longings  are 
:he  strivings  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  the  soul,  calling  it  away 
Tom  the  spirit  of  the  world,  and  the  love  of  it, — calling  it 
'  into  Himself,  calling  it  to  "  come  out  and  be  separate."  The 
Father  pleads  with  you  in  secret,  saying,  "Love  not  the 
vorld,  neither  the  things  that  are  in  the  world.    If  any  man 


4 


WHAT   IS  IT? 


love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him.  For  all 
that  is  in  the  world, — the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the 
eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life, — is  not  of  the  Father,  but  is  of  the 
world,  and  the  world  passeth  away,  and  the  lust  thereof ;  but 
he  that  doeth  the  will  of  God,  abideth  forever." 

"  Come  unto  me,"  saith  our  blessed  Lord,  "  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke 
upon  you,  and  learn  of  me;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in 
heart :  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls.  For  my  yoke 
is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light."  Are  you  willing  to  take 
this  yoke  upon  you  ?  Christ  saith,  "  He  that  taketh  not  his 
cross  and  followeth  after  me  is  not  worthy  of  me."  How  is  it 
now  with  you?  Oh!  be  willing  to  hear  and  obey,  that  your 
souls  may  live.  The  Lord  is  pleading  with  you  and  is  waiting 
to  be  gracious  unto  you.  And,  "  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his 
children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  Him."  Be  not 
afraid  to  approach  unto  Him  with  thy  broken,  humble  cry, 
"Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my  heart;  try  me  and  know 
my  thoughts,  and  see  if  there  be  any  wicked  way  in  me,  and 
lead  me  in  the  way  everlasting."  His  ear  is  open  to  the 
cries  of  the  poor  and  needy.  And  then  when  the  soul  is  drawn 
away  from  the  love  of  the  world  and  its  delights,  hungering 
after  a  knowledge  of  God  and  heavenly  things,  then  it  is  that 
the  Lord  comes  into  his  temple,  into  the  weaned  and  purified 
soul,  and  fills  it  at  times  with  heavenly  delights ;  these  then 
feel  that  they  are  upon  the  Rock,  and  that  the  "  Lord  knoweth 
them  that  are  his,"  and  realize  that  the  storms  of  life  beat 
upon  them  in  vain  ;  they  cannot  be  moved  ;  neither  is  any  man 
able  to  pluck  them  out  of  the  Father's  hand. 

Oh,  the  joy  and  peace !  Oh,  the  rest  and  quiet  trust  of  a 
soul  anchored  upon  Christ  Jesus!  Oh,  come!  oh,  hear!  and 
taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good  !  "  For  this  is  life  eternal, 
that  they  might  know  thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent. 

Blessed  forever  are  they  that  trust  in  the  Lord ! 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a. 


No.  118.. 


ON  PRAYER 


PHILADELPHIA: 
POLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
No.  304  Arch  Stuejct. 


ON"  PRAYER. 


PERHAPS  there  is  scarcely  an  act  sanctioned  by  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ  less  understood,  or  more 
abused  than  prayer.  True  prayer,  either  mental  or 
vocal,  has  its  origin  in  the  divine  will.  It  is  an 
entrance  into  and  concurrence  with  the  will  of  God, 
in  petitioning  for  those  things  which  he  inclines  his 
children  to  ask  for.  Hence  it  can  only  be  performed 
as  we  are  led  thereto  by  his  spirit,  by  which  his  will 
and  our  spiritual  wants  are  made  manifest.  Those 
who  think  they  are  in  the  performance  of  this  duty,  by 
repeating  the  Lord's  prayer,  are  too  generally  deficient. 
They  do  not  consider  that  the  very  first  sentence  re- 
quires a  qualification.  Who  are  they  that  may  call 
God  Father?  Certainly  not  those  who  are  the  servants 
of  sin,  who  reject  the  light  of  Christ,  and  are  enemies 
to  his  spirit ;  these  are  not  his  children.  "  For  as 
many  as  are  led  by  the  spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons 
of  God."*  Such  may  say  "  our  Father  which  art  in 
heaven  but  of  the  multitudes  who  are  daily  address- 
ing him  by  that  paternal  title,  there  is  reason  to  fear 
few,  comparatively,  are  his  obedient  children,  and  all 
others  are  saying  that  which  is  not  true  in  relation  to 
themselves.  They  have  not  lived  in,  nor  received  the 
"spirit  of  adoption,"  authorizing  them  to  cry  "Abba, 
Father."  Neither  are  the  disobedient  willing  that  his 
kingdom  should  be  set  up  in  their  hearts,  nor  that  the 


*Rom.  viii.  14. 


2 


ON  PRAYER. 


3 


divine  will  should  be  done  ;  but  they  live  in  the  pride 
and  obstinacy  of  their  own  self-will.  Instead  of  "  for- 
giving men  their  trespasses,"  they  watch  the  oppor- 
tunity for  revenge,  and  are  joyful  when  they  succeed 
in  punishing  those  who  they  imagine  have  injured 
them.  Others  seem  to  suppose  they  shall  be  heard  for 
their  much  speaking,  and  are  therefore  crowding  to- 
gether all  the  subjects  of  desire  which  the  imagination 
can  reach,  and  calling  upon  the  Almighty  to  grant 
this  assemblage  of  requests.  This  kind  of  devotion 
was  practised  by  the  Pharisees ;  but  what  were  the 
remarks  which  the  Saviour  of  men  made  upon  them  ? 
"  And  when  thou  prayest,  thou  shalt  not  be  as  the 
hypocrites  are  :  for  they  love  to  pray  standing  in  the 
synagogues,  and  in  the  corners  of  the  streets,  that  they 
may  be  seen  of  men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They  have 
their  reward."*  Having  shown  the  motives  of  these 
supplicants,  and  noticed  that  a  primary  object  with 
them  was  to  be  seen  of  men,  he  gives  his  disciples  an 
instructive  lesson  on  the  subject  ;  a  lesson  which  ought 
to  be  deeply  pondered  by  all  who  think  themselves 
called  to  vocal  prayer  in  the  assemblies  of  the  people, 
as  well  as  by  those  who  in  their  closets  attempt  to 
address  the  Almighty.  "  But  when  ye  pray,  use  not 
vain  repetitions,  as  the  heathen  do  :  for  they  think  that 
they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much  speaking.  Be  not 
ye  therefore  like  unto  them  :  for  your  Father  knoweth 
what  things  ye  have  need  of,  before  ye  ask  him."f 

These  cautions  are  sufficient  to  prove  that  though 
our  Lord  has  invited  to  prayer,  yet  he  requires  that 
those  who  pray  should  know  that  the  motive  is  pure, 
that  it  is  free  from  all  creaturely  passion  and  affection, 
and  therefore  he  has  said,  for  the  encouragement  of 
such,  "  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you  ;  seek,  and  ye 


*  Matt.  vi.  5. 


f  Matt.  vi.  7,  8. 


4 


ON  PRAYER. 


shall  find;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you."* 
"  And  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name,  that  will  I 
do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  Son."f 
His  name  is  his  divine  power,  and  whatever  is  asked 
for  under  his  holy  influence,  which  is -.at  times  expe- 
rienced by  the  soul  to  be  "  as  ointment  poured  forth," 
he  will  unquestionably  grant.  This  is  not  praying  in 
the  will  of  the  creature,  but  in  the  will  of  God,  and 
must  be  an  acceptable  act.  The  natural  man,  with  all 
his  studied  forms  of  prayer,  is  ignorant  of  the  spirit ; 
and  therefore  knows  not  what  to  ask  for,  but  is  in 
darkness  and  spiritual  death,  and  can  never  pray 
acceptably,  until  he  is  brought  under  the  redeeming 
power  of  truth,  and  made  subject  to  the  cross  of 
Christ ;  having  the  old  and  fallen  nature  humbled  by 
the  righteous  judgment  of  God  upon  it.  In  this  state, 
the  soul  is  sensible  of  its  need  of  daily  bread,  and  there 
is  begotten  in  it  a  true  hunger  and  thirst  after  right- 
eousness ;  the  spiritual  feelings  are  quickened  and 
made  alive  unto  God,  and  the  temptations  of  the 
enemy  are  resisted.  In  this  conflict,  the  weight  of 
human  infirmities  is  felt,  and  prayers  are  always  alive 
in  the  soul ;  hence  it  may  be  said  of  such,  agreeably 
with  the  exhortation  of  the  apostle  Paul,  that  they 
"  pray  without  ceasing."  Now  this  living  travail  for 
redemption  from  under  the  power  of  darkness,  and 
dominion  of  sin,  is  not  superficial  or  outward ;  but  it 
is  a  work  known  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  his  gra- 
cious ear  is  always  opened  to  the  groanings  and  pray- 
ers of  those  who  endure  it ;  because  they  breathe  in 
his  own  divine  spirit,  and  live  to  him  and  not  to 
themselves. 

When  an  assembly  is  gathered  for  the  purpose  of 
divine  worship,  and  any  believe  they  are  called  to 


*  Matt.  vii.  7. 


f  John  xiv.  13. 


ON  PRAYER. 


5 


vocal  prayer,  and  are  therein  guided  by  the  spirit  of 
God,  many  present  being  brought  into  the  divine  will, 
the  prayer  itself  will  be  owned,  and  united  with  by 
such,  as  being  from  the  dictates  of  the  spirit ;  but  if 
the  person  speaking  does  not  keep  to  the  leadings  of 
the  spirit,  then  what  is  said  is  not  true  prayer,  and 
will  not  be  accepted.  In  a  religious  assembly  there 
may  be  different  states  and  growths,  and  each  may  be 
gathered  into  the  divine  will,  but  owing  to  their 
various  wants,  they  may  not  be  led  to  unite  in  one 
petition,  though  all  may  be  engaged  in  spiritual 
prayer.  In  this  view  of  prayer,  silence  must  appear 
really  important  and  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  true 
and  acceptable  worship.  That  prayer  can  only  be 
opened  in  the  understanding  by  the  divine  spirit, 
there  are  many  passages  in  the  Scriptures  to  prove. 
"  Likewise  the  spirit  also  helpeth  our  infirmities  :  for 
we  know  not  what  we  should  pray  for  as  we  ought : 
but  the  spirit  itself  maketh  intercession  for  us  with 
groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered.  And  he  that 
searcheth  the  hearts  knoweth  what  is  the  mind  of  the 
spirit,  because  he  maketh  intercession  for  the  saints 
according  to  the  will  of  God."*  Again  the  same 
apostle  saith,  "  I  will  pray  with  the  spirit,  and  I  will 
pray  with  the  understanding  also."f  If  the  believers 
then  knew  not  what  to  pray  for  as  they  ought,  but 
required  the  help  and  intercession  of  the  spirit,  as  the 
medium  through  which  we  have  access  to  the  Father, 
so  the  aid  of  the  spirit  must  be  no  less  indispensable 
now  to  enable  us  to  offer  acceptable  prayer  than  it  was 
in  that  age  of  the  church. 

In  further  proof  of  the  spiritual  nature  of  true 
prayer,  we  will  recite  the  sentiments  of  several  per- 
sons of  note.  Gell  says,  "  Words  conceived  only  in  an 


*  Rom.  viii.  26,  27. 


f  1  Cor.  xiv.  15. 


6 


ON  PRAYER. 


earthly  mind,  and  uttered  out  of  the  memory  by  man's 
voice,  which  make  a  noise  in  the  ears  of  flesh  and 
blood,  are  not,  nor  can  be,  accounted  prayer  before  our 
Father  which  is  in  heaven."  Smallbridge,  Bishop  of 
Bristol,  has  the  following  expressions:  "Devotion  of 
mind  is  itself  a  silent  prayer,  which  wants  not  to  be 
clothed  in  words,  that  God  may  better  know  our  de- 
sires. He  regards  not  the  service  of  our  lips,  but  the 
inward  disposition  of  our  hearts."  Monro  speaks  to 
the  same  effect :  "  I  am  persuaded,"  says  he,  "  that  it 
would  be  vastly  advantageous  for  youth,  if  care  were 
taken  to  train  them  up  to  this  method  of  prayer;  that 
is,  if  they  were  taught  frequently  to  place  themselves 
in  the  divine  presence,  and  there  silently  to  adore 
their  Creator,  Redeemer,  and  Sanctilier.  For  thereby 
they  would  become  habitually  recollected.  Devotion 
would  be  their  element,  and  they  would  know  by  ex- 
perience what  our  blessed  Saviour,  and  his  great  apos- 
tle mean,  when  they  enjoin  us  to  pray  without  ceasing. 
It  was,  I  suppose,  by  some  such  method  of  devotion  as 
I  am  now  speaking  of,  that  Enoch  walked  with  God  ; 
that  Moses  saw  him  that  is  invisible ;  that  the  royal 
Psalmist  set  the  Lord  always  before  him;  and  that 
our  Lord  Jesus  himself,  continued  whole  nights  in 
prayer  to  God.  ~No  man,  I  believe,  will  imagine,  that 
his  prayer,  during  all  the  space  in  which  it  is  said  to 
have  continued,  was  altogether  vocal.  When  he  was 
in  his  agony  in  the  garden,  he  used  but  few  words. 
His  vocal  prayer  then  consisted  only  of  one  petition, 
and  an  act  of  pure  resignation,  thrice  repeated.  But 
I  hope  all  will  allow,  that  his  devotion  lasted  longer 
than  while  he  was  employed  in  uttering  a  few  sen- 
tences." True  prayer,  therefore,  being  purely  of  di- 
vine origin,  and  only  brought  forth  in  man  by  the 
immediate  openings  and  leadings  of  the  spirit  of  God, 
all  who  enter  upon  it  without  such  direction  and 


ON  PRAYER. 


7 


government,  are  only  fulfilling  the  will  of  the  crea- 
ture, and  though  they  may  repeat  the  best  of  words, 
even  the  prayer  which  Christ  taught  his  disciples,  it 
is  not  prayer  to  them,  nor  can  it  be  expected  to  enter 
the  ears  of  the  Most  High. 

As  no  human  acquirements  can  qualify  for  prayer, 
or  in  any  degree  be  adequate  to  its  right  performance, 
so  also  it  may  be  said  with  respect  to  singing  of  hymns 
and  spiritual  songs.  That  singing  which  is  pleasing 
to  the  Almighty  must  proceed  from  that  which  is 
pure,  even  from  the  divine  life  and  manifestation  of 
grace  in  the  heart  ;  and  all  those  who  are  born  of  the 
spirit  will  no  doubt,  as  they  are  moved  thereby,  have 
spiritual  songs  and  hymns  to  return  unto  the  Lord. 
But  songs  of  thanksgiving  and  praise  are  not  always 
necessarily  vocal,  neither  can  they  stand  in  need  of 
any  musical  tone  to  render  them  acceptable  unto  God. 
"  Be  filled  with  the  spirit,"  says  the  apostle,  "  speak- 
ing to  yourselves  in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual 
songs,  singing  and  making  melody  in  your  heart  to  the 
Lord/'-  It  could  seldom  occur  that  the  whole  con- 
gregation would  be  raised  into  the  same  spiritual  song, 
and  if  any  should  outwardly  sing  that  which  was  not 
brought  forth  in  them  by  the  spirit  of  God,  they 
would  be  acting  contrary  to  truth,  and  instead  of 
being  edified  thereby  might  become  the  instruments 
of  spiritual  death  to  those  to  whom  the  Lord  has  not 
given  a  song,  and  who  according  to  his  righteousness 
are  yet  to  pass  under  the  just  dispensation  of  con- 
demnation. The  rebellious  and  the  enemies  of  truth 
are  not  prepared  to  join  in  the  true  spiritual  worship 
whilst  they  remain  in  that  state,  but  they  may  unite 
their  voices  where  an  outward  form  is  embraced,  and 
even  suppose  they  are  doing  God  service. 


*  Ephes.  v.  18,  19. 


8 


ON  PRAYER. 


As  the  worship  which  the  followers  of  Christ  are 
called  unto  is  of  divine  original,  there  is  no  mistake 
in  its  operations ;  but  all  the  living  may  harmonize 
together  in  the  same  spirit,  and  worship  God  "  ac- 
cording as  he  has  dealt  to  every  man  the  measure  of 
faith."  *  Every  one  being  gathered  to  the  gift  of 
grace  in  themselves,  without  depending  upon  any  man 
to  assist  them  in  the  performance  of  this  duty,  there 
is  room  for  the4  exercise  of  their  respective  gifts. 
Such  as  the  spirit  sets  apart  for  these  services  may 
engage  in  preaching,  praying  or  singing,  as  they  are 
led  thereunto  by  the  same  spirit ;  and  when  none  are 
thus  publicly  led,  petitions  or  thanksgivings,  according 
to  the  different  wants  or  growths  in  the  assembly, 
may  silently  ascend  and  meet  with  acceptance  before 
the  throne  of  grace ;  in  either  case  will  divine  wor- 
ship be  performed,  and  the  body  and  members  of 
Christ  edified.  This  worship  is  not  dependent  upon 
the  wisdom  of  man,  and  needs  not  the  pomp,  riches, 
or  splendor  of  this  world  to  adorn  and  support  it.  It 
is  such  as  proceed eth  from  the  spirit  of  God,  and  is 
always  accompanied  with  its  influence,  being  begun 
by  its  motion,  and  carried  on  by  its  power  and  strength. 
It  is  a  worship  perfectly  consistent  with  the  spiritual- 
ity of  the  gospel  dispensation,  a  dispensation  in  which 
the  substance  is  to  be  enjoyed  in  the  spirit  and  life  of 
the  dear  Son  of  God,  who  is  building  up  a  spiritual 
church  founded  upon  him  in  all  things. 


*  Rom.  xii.  3. 


No.  119. 


On  Faith  and  Hope  in  God. 

BY  HENRY  TUKE. 


THE  first  duty  which  we  owe  to  the  Divine  Being, 
is  Faith ;  or,  a  belief  in  the  existence  of  God,  in 
his  power,  and  in  his  goodness.  It  is  called  Faith, 
because  these  great  and  important  truths  do  not  admit 
of  that  kind  of  demonstration  by  which  many  other 
truths  may  be  proved  ;  and  yet  all  around  us,  and  all 
within  us,  so  fully  evince  the  existence,  the  power,  and 
the  goodness,  of  a  Divine  Being,  that  this  may  be  con- 
sidered a  just  and  reasonable  duty.  On  a  subject  so 
much  above  our  comprehension,  we  must  be  content 
in  some  degree,  to  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight. 
"We  need  not,  therefore,  stumble  at  this  first  principle 
of  religion,  to  which  our  implicit  acquiescence  is  re- 
quired. "  Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please 
God ;  for  he  that  cometh  unto  him,  must  believe  that 
he  is,  and  that  he  is  a  rewarder  of  all  those  that  dili- 
gently seek  him."  When  these  principles  have  their 
proper  influence  on  the  heart,  they  are  of  great  service 
to  us  in  our  passage  through  life  ;  and  tend  greatly  to 
reconcile  our  minds  to  those  various  circumstances 
which  are,  by  an  all-wise  Providence,  permitted  or  dis- 
pensed to  us.    It  is  by  the  eye  of  faith  that  we  see 

l 


2 


ON   FAITH   AND   HOPE   IN  GOD. 


him, who  is,  to  every  other  eye,  invisible;  and  by  this 
eye  of  faith  we  are  enabled  to  look  beyond  the  things 
which  are  seen,  and  are  temporal,  to  those  things  which 
are  not  seen,  and  are  eternal.  It  was  under  the  influ- 
ence of  this  faith  that  Moses  chose  rather  to  suffer 
affliction  with  the  people  of  God,  than  to  enjoy  the 
pleasures  of  sin;  seeing  him  who  is  invisible,  and  hav- 
ing an  eye  to  the  recompense  of  reward. 

From  faith  in  the  Divine  Being  and  Providence 
proceeds  that  "  Hope  which  is  an  anchor  to  the  soul, 
both  sure  and  steadfast."  In  the  storms  and  tempests 
attendant  on  this  probationary  state  of  existence,  an 
humble  hope  and  trust  in  the  mercies  and  providence 
of  God,  are  essentially  necessary  to  the  preservation 
of  the  vessel,  from  being  driven  on  the  rocks  or  quick- 
sands which  surround  our  coast ;  and  on  which  ship- 
wreck is  sometimes  made  of  everything  that  renders 
life  valuable,  or  eternity  desirable. 

This  hope  or  trust  may  be  divided  into  two  parts ; 
iirst,  as  it  relates  to  the  providence  of  God,  in  refer- 
ence to  the  things  of  this  life ;  and  secondly,  as  it  relates 
to  his  mercy  in  respect  to  those  things  which  pertain 
to  that  life  which  is  to  come.  With  respect  to  the 
first,  our  blessed  Lord  strengthens  his  disciples  in 
their  confidence  in  the  Divine  Providence,  by  many 
apt  allusions  and  pressing  exhortations :  "  I  say  unto 
you,  take  no  thought,"  or  rather,  be  not  anxious,  "for 
your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink, 
nor  yet  for  your  body  what  ye  shall  put  on.  Behold 
the  fowls  of  the  air  ;  for  they  sow  not,  neither  do  they 
reap,  nor  gather  into  barns ;  yet  your  heavenly  Fa- 
ther feedeth  them.  Consider  the  lilies  how  they  grow, 
they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin,  and  yet  I  say  unto 
you  that  Solomon,  in  all  his  glory,  was  not  arrayed 
like  one  of  these.  Wherefore,  if  God  so  clothe  the 
grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is 


ON    FAITH    AND    HOPE    IN    G  O  D . 


3 


cast  into  the  oven,  how  much  more  will  he  clothe  you, 
O  ye  of  little  faith  ?  Therefore  seek  ye  first  the  king- 
dom of  God  and  his  righteousness ;  and  all  these  things 
shall  he  added  unto  you."  AVe  have  in  the  prophet 
Habakkuk  an  eminent  instance  of  resignation  to  Di- 
vine protection,  and  of  confidence  therein.  After 
foreseeing  some  impending  calamities,  he  expresses 
himself  in  this  animated  and  animating  language: 
"  Although  the  fig-tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither 
shall  fruit  be  in  the  vine  ;  the  labor  of  the  olive  shall 
fail,  and  the  fields  shall  yield  no  meat ;  the  flock 
shall  be  cut  off  from  the  fold,  and  there  shall  be  no 
herd  in  the  stalls  ;  yet  I  will  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  I 
will  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salvation." 

It  sometimes  occurs  that  religiously  disposed  minds 
fall  into  a  state  of  depression  and  discouragement, 
respecting  their  inward  or  their  future  state.  This, 
so  far  as  it  excites  vigilance  and  exertion,  may  be 
beneficial ;  but  when  its  tendency  is  to  lead  to  despair 
of  the  mercies  of  God,  and  to  cast  away  our  confidence 
in  his  goodness  and  loving-kinduess,  it  becomes  a  dis- 
position to  which  we  ought  not  to  give  way,  but 
should  carefully  guard  against  its  attacks.  This 
situation  of  mind  is  strongly  described  by  the  Psalm- 
ist in  the  seventy-seventh  Psalm  :  "In  the  day  of  my 
trouble  I  sought  the  Lord :  my  hand  *  was  stretched 
out  in  the  night  and  ceased  not :  my  soul  refused  to 
be  comforted.  I  remembered  God,  and  was  troubled, 
and  my  spirit  was  overwhelmed.  Will  the  Lord  cast 
off  forever ;  will  he  be  favorable  no  more  ?  Is  his  mercy 
clean  gone  for  ever?  doth  his  promise  fail  for  ever- 
more ?  hath  God  forgotten  to  be  gracious  ?  hath  he 
in  anger  shut  up  his  tender  mercies?"  Here  the 
Psalmist  seems  to  recollect  his  own  peculiar  weakness, 


*  See  the  marginal  reading. 


4  ON    FAITH   AND   HOPE   IN  GOD. 

and  turns  his  reflections  another  way.  "  I  said,  this 
is  my  infirmity  ;  but  I  will  remember  the  years  of  the 
right  hand  of  the  Most  High.  I  will  remember  the 
works  of  the  Lord  ;  surely  I  will  remember  thy  won- 
ders of  old.  I  will  meditate  also  of  all  thy  works, 
and  talk  of  thy  doings.  Thy  way,  0  God !  is  in  the 
sanctuary  ;  who  is  so  great  a  God  as  our  God  ? "  In 
another  Psalm,  we  find  the  pious  David  consoling 
himself  in  this  encouraging  soliloquy  :  "  Why  art  thou 
cast  down,  0  my  soul  ?  and  why  art  thou  disquieted 
within  me  ?  Hope  thou  in  God  ;  for  I  shall  yet  praise 
him  who  is  the  health  of  my  countenance,  and  my 
God."  Here  we  see  the  benefit  of  attending  to  that 
apostolic  exhortation :  "  Cast  not  away,  therefore, 
your  confidence,  which  hath  great  recompense  of  re- 
ward." 

The  following  passages  point  out  the  necessity  and 
advantages  of  a  proper  trust  or  confidence  in  God,  on 
all  occasions :  "  Trust  in  the  Lord  with  all  thy  heart, 
and  lean  not  unto  thy  own  understanding.  In  all  thy 
ways  acknowledge  him,  and  he  shall  direct  thy  paths. 
Commit  thy  works  unto  the  Lord,  and  thy  thoughts 
shall  be  established.  Commit  thy  way  unto  him, 
trust  also  in  him,  and  he  shall  bring  it  to  pass. 
Judgment  is  before  him,  therefore  trust  thou  in 
him." 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Streett  Philad'a. 


No.  120. 


The  Love  of  God. 

BY    HENRY  ^TUKE. 


HEN  our  Saviour  was  insidiously  asked,"  Which 
is  the  great  commandment  of  the  law?  "  the  reply 
was,  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  mind. 
This  is  the  first  and  great  commandment."  Did  we 
place  this  duty  sufficiently  before  us,  as  the  most 
desirable  object  of  our  attainment,  and  frequently 
examine  ourselves  respecting  it,  with  earnest  sup- 
plication to  him  who  heareth  his  dependent  children, 
we  should  be  likely  to  witness  an  increase  of  this 
love  in  our  hearts,  and  feelingly  to  unite  with  the  ex- 
pressions of  Holy  Writ :  "  I  love  thy  commandments 
above  gold,  yea,  above  fine  gold.  Thy  word  is  very 
pure,  therefore  thy  servant  loveth  it.  Oh !  love  the 
Lord,  all  ye  saints :  for  the  Lord  preserveth  the  faith- 
ful, and  plentifully  rewardeth  the  proud  doer.  Let 
them  that  love  thy  name  be  joyful  in  thee,  for  thou, 
Lord !  wilt  bless  the  righteous.  Let  such  as  love  thy 
salvation  say  continually,  The  Lord  be  magnified.  The 
Lord  preserveth  all  them  that  love  him." 

But  of  all  the  inducements  to  the  love  of  God,  there 
is  none  so  powerful  as  the  sense  of  the  love  of  God 
towards  us:  " God  commendeth  his  love  towards  us,  in 
that,  while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us." 
In  the  enjoyment  of  this  consoling  faith,  Christians 
can  say,  "The  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  given  unto  us."   Such  was 


2 


THE  LOVE  OF  GOD. 


the  prevalence  and  the  establishment  of  this  love  in 
the  heart  of  the  apostle,  and  some  of  his  fellow- 
believers,  that  he  could  confidently  declare :  "  I  am 
persuaded  that  neither  death  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor 
principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor 
things  to  come  ;  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other 
creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of 
God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." 

The  principal  proof  of  our  love  arises  from  our  obe- 
dience to  what  we  know  to  be  the  Divine  will  concern- 
ing us,  or  his  commandments  to  us.  "  If  ye  love  me," 
says  our  Saviour,  "  keep  my  commandments."  Con- 
sistent with  this  language,  is  that  of  the  apostle  John: 
"  This  is  the  love  of  God,  that  we  keep  his  command- 
ments ;  and  his  commandments  are  not  grievous." 
"  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  word,  and  my 
Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him, 
and  make  our  abode  with  him."  John  xrv.  23. 

In  order  to  guard  us  against  the  loss  of  that  love, 
which  is  so  important  a  part  of  our  duty,  the  follow- 
ing advices  and  cautions  are  given :  "  Set  your  affec- 
tions on  things  above,  and  not  on  things  on  the  earth ; 
love  not  the  world,  neither  the  things  which  are  in 
the  world.  If  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of 
the  Father  is  not  in  him:  for  all  that  is  in  the  world, 
the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride 
of  life  are  not  of  the  Father,  but  of  the  world.  The 
world  passeth  away  and  the  lust  thereof :  whosoever 
will  be  a  friend  of  the  world  is  the  enemy  of  God,  for 
the  friendship  of  the  world  is  enmity  with  God." 
Let  not  these  impressive  cautions  and  observations  be 
forgotten  ;  and  then  the  following  salutations  of  the 
apostle  may  be  verified  in  our  experience :  "  The  Lord 
direct  your  hearts  unto  the  love  of  God,  and  unto  the 
patient  waiting  for  Christ.  Grace  be  with  all  them  that 
love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity." 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a. 


No.  121. 


OX 


The  Fear  of  God. 


BY  HENRY  TUKE. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1885. 


V 


ON  THE  FEAR  OF  GOD. 


I^HE  fear  of  offending  God  has  been,  in  all  ages,  the 
-  disposition  of  the  righteous,  by  which  they  have 
been  in  a  great  measure  preserved  from  falling  into 
those  irreligious  and  immoral  practices  which  draw 
down  Divine  displeasure  on  men.  When  we  consider 
the  omnipotence,  the  omniscience,  and  the  justice  of 
God,  we  shall  find  abundant  cause  for  cherishing  this 
fear,  accompanied  with  an  awful  reverence  of  spirit 
towards  him.  So  forcibly  was  this  duty  impressed 
on  the  mind  of  one  of  the  Patriarchs,  that  the  Divine 
Being  was  styled,  "  The  Fear  of  Isaac,"  Joseph  was 
an  eminent  example  of  the  beneficial  effects  of  this 
fear.  He  says  of  himself,  "  I  fear  God  ;"  and  he  gave 
a  striking  proof  of  it,  when,  under  a  peculiar  tempta- 
tion, he  resisted  it  with  this  memorable  language, 
"How  can  I  do  this  great  wickedness,  and  sin  against 
God?" 

When  we  attend  to  all  the  beneficial  consequences 
which  are  described  in  Scripture,  as  the  result  of  this 
virtue,  its  importance  must  forcibly  impress  our 
minds,  and  should  stimulate  us  to  the  attainment  of 
it.  "  Thou  shalt  fear  the  Lord  thy  God,"  was  a  pre- 
cept early  given  to  the  Jewish  nation,  and  was  added 
to  many  of  their  legal  institutions,  as  an  incentive  to 
duty.  In  the  book  of  Job  is  set  forth  the  inestimable 
value  of  true  wisdom ;  which  is,  after  all  that  is  said 

2 


ON    THE    FEAR   OF  GOD. 


3 


of  it,  reduced  to  this  simple  but  important  point: 
u  The  fear  of  the  Lord,  that  is  wisdom,  and  to  depart 
from  evil,  is  understanding."  Solomon  concludes  his 
description  of  the  excellence  of  wisdom  in  similar 
words :  "  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of 
wisdom ;  and  the  knowledge  of  the  Holy  is  under- 
standing/' In  this  description  of  wisdom  he  also 
says  :  "  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  to  hate  evil :  pride, 
and  arrogancy,  and  the  evil  way,  and  the  froward 
mouth,  do  I  hate."  Again,  "  By  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  men  depart  from  evil.  It  is  a  fountain  of  life, 
to  depart  from  the  snares  of  death.  By  humility,  and 
the  fear  of  the  Lord,  are  riches,  and  honor,  and  life." 

The  Psalmist  inculcates  the  Divine  fear,  in  this  in- 
viting language:  u Come,  ye  children,  and  I  will 
teach  you  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  AVhat  man  is  he  that 
desireth  life,  and  loveth  many  days,  that  he  may  see 
good?  Keep  thy  tongue  from  evil,  and  thy  lips  from 
speaking  guile.  Depart  from  evil,  and  do  good  ;  seek 
peace  and  pursue  it.  The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  upon 
the  righteous,  and  his  ears  are  open  to  their  cry.  The 
face  of  the  Lord  is  against  them  that  do  evil,  to  cut 
off  the  remembrance  of  them  from  the  earth."'  We 
have  many  other  incitements  to  this  duty  in  the 
Scriptures;  particularly  in  the  Psalms:  kw  God  is 
greatly  to  he  feared  in  the  assembly  of  the  saints, 
and  to  be  had  in  reverence  of  all  them  that  are 
about  him.  He  is  to  be  feared  above  all  gods.  Thou, 
even  thou,  art  to  be  feared  ;  and  who  may  stand  in 
thy  sight,  when  once  thou  art  angry  ?  But  there  is 
forgiveness  with  thee,  that  thou  mayest  be  feared. 
Stand  in  awe  and  sin  not.  Serve  the  Lord  with  fear, 
and  rejoice  with  trembling.  Let  all  the  earth  fear  the 
Lord.  Let  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  stand  in 
awe  of  him.  The  Lord  reigneth  :  let  the  people  trem- 
ble.   He  sitteth  between  the  cherubim ;  let  the  earth 


4 


ON   THE   FEAR   OF  GOD. 


be  moved.  Who  would  not  fear  thee,  0  King  of 
nations  !  for  to  thee  doth  it  appertain." 

But  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  righteous  are  taught 
whom  they  should  not  fear,  as  well  as  whom  they 
should  fear.  "Ye  shall  not  fear  other' gods."  "Learn 
not  the  way  of  the  heathen,  and  be  not  dismayed  at 
the  signs  of  heaven ;  for  the  customs  of  the  people  are 
vain."  "  The  fear  of  man  bringeth  a  snare."  "  Fear  ye 
not  the  reproach  of  men,  neither  be  ye  afraid  of  their 
revilings."  "  I,  even  I,  am  he  that  comforteth  you :  who 
art  thou,  that  thou  shouldst  be  afraid  of  a  man  that 
shall  die,  and  of  the  son  of  a  man  which  shall  be  made 
as  grass  ;  and  forgettest  the  Lord  thy  maker,  that 
hath  stretched  forth  the  heavens,  and  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  the  earth." 

Our  blessed  Redeemer  gave  his  disciples  some  par- 
ticular instructions  on  this  subject :  "  I  say  unto  you, 
my  friends,  be  not  afraid  of  them  that  kill  the  body, 
and  after  that  have  no  more  that  they  can  do.  But  I 
will  forewarn  you  whom  ye  shall  fear.  Fear  him, 
which,  after  he  hath  killed,  hath  power  to  cast  into 
hell ;  yea,  I  say  unto  you,  fear  him." 

Thus  we  find  in  every  dispensation  the  fear  of  G-od 
was  a  necessary  attainment.  It  formed  a  prominent 
part  in  that  message  delivered  by  the  angel,  who  was 
seen  to  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  having  the  ever- 
lasting gospel  to  preach  unto  them  that  dwell  on  the 
earth  ;  saying  with  a  loud  voice,  "  Fear  God,  and  give 
glory  to  him,  for  the  hour  of  his  judgment  is  come ; 
and  worship  him  that  made  heaven  and  earth,  and 
the  sea,  and  the  fountains  of  waters." 


No.  122. 


ON 


RELIGIOUS  MEDITATION. 


BY  HEXRY  TUKE. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 


ON  RELIGIOUS  MEDITATION. 


BY  Religious  Meditation,  is  meant  that  inward  re- 
tirement of  mind,  from  the  cares  and  concerns  of 
this  world,  in  which  we  may  contemplate  the  works 
of  God,  both  in  creation  and  redemption ;  and  con- 
sider the  duties  which  we  owe  to  him,  and  one  to 
another. 

To  have  the  mind  frequently  engaged  in  this  man- 
ner, is  of  no  small  importance  to  the  religious 
improvement  of  a  Christian.  For  this  purpose,  as 
well  as  for  that  of  inward  retirement  and  private 
prayer,  some  persons  set  apart  particular  times  of  the 
day  ;  whilst  others  find  it  practicable  when  they  are 
engaged  in  their  outward  employments,  inwardly  to 
retire  from  the  world's  concerns,  secretly  to  meditate 
upon  the  law  of  the  Lord,  to  wait  upon  him  for  the  re- 
newal of  their  spiritual  strength,  and  to  pour  out  their 
supplications  unto  him.  To  prescribe  the  mode  of  per- 
forming these  duties,  is  not  our  business  ;  and  indeed 
they  are  such  as  we  cannot  well  prescribe  one  for 
another.  That  they  are  duties,  important  and  bene- 
ficial, will,  no  doubt,  be  generally  admitted:  and  we 
have  reason  to  believe,  that  they  have  been  practised 
by  the  righteous  of  all  generations.  TTe  are  told  that 
Enoch  walked  with  God :  and  we  may  reasonably 
suppose,  that  this  was  by  secret  communion  with  him, 
and  meditation  upon  his  works  and  commands. 

Of  religious  meditation,  we  have  an  example  in  the 

case  of  Isaac;  and  from  the  incidental  mention  of  his 

2 


ON    RELIGIOUS  MEDITATION. 


3 


going  "  out  to  meditate  in  the  field  at  the  eventide,"  a 
presumptive  proof,  at  least,  is  afforded,  that  a  similar 
practice  was  not  uncommon  with  the  Patriarchs.  To 
Joshua,  the  successful  leader  of  the  children  of  Israel 
into  the  promised  land,  this  command  was  given  : 
u  This  hook  of  the  law  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy 
mouth  ;  hut  thou  shall  meditate  therein  day  and 
night,  that  thou  mayest  ohserve  to  do  according  to  all 
that  is  written  therein  ;  for  then  thou  shalt  make  thy 
way  prosperous,  and  then  thou  shalt  have  good 
success."  We  have  hut  little  left  on  record  in  the 
Scriptures,  of  the  private,  religious  exercises  of  those 
concerning  whom  they  are  written,  previously  to  the 
Book  of  Psalms.  Here  we  find  in  the  first  Psalm, 
religious  meditation  represented  as  a  material  part  of 
the  employment  of  the  man  who"  is  styled  blessed. 
"  His  delight,"  says  the  Psalmist,  "  is  in  the  law  of  the 
Lord,  and  in  his  law  doth  he  meditate  day  and  night." 
It  was,  no  doubt,  to  this  duty,  that  the  Psalmist 
alluded,  when  lie  gave  this  exhortation  :  tk  Commune 
with  your  own  heart  upon  your  bed ;  and  he  still." 
The  benefits  which  result  from  religious  meditation 
are  thus  described  :  kk  My  soul  shall  be  satisfied  as 
with  marrow  and  fatness,  and  my  mouth  shall  praise 
thee  with  joyful  lips,  when  I  remember  thee  upon  my 
bed,  and  meditate  on  thee  in  the  night  watches." 
Again  we  find  this  employment  excellently  and 
profitably  illustrated,  and  its  benefits  under  close  con- 
flicts strongly  described  :  "  I  have  considered  the  days 
of  old  ;  the  years  of  ancient  times.  I  call  to  remem- 
brance my  song  in  the  night :  I  commune  with  my 
own  heart,  and  my  spirit  made  diligent  search.  Will 
the  Lord  cast  off  forever,  and  will  he  be  favorable  no 
more?"  After  various  considerations  of  this  kind, 
the  Psalmist  concludes  in  this  manner:  "Surely  I 
will  remember  thy  wonders  of  old.    I  will  meditate 


4 


ON    RELIGIOUS  MEDITATION. 


also  of  all  thy  work,  and  talk  of  thy  doings.  Thy 
way,  0  God,  is  in  the  sanctuary:  Who  is  so  great  a 
God  as  our  God  ? " 

But  the  inspired  writers  did  not  confine  their  medi- 
tation to  the  law  of  their  God,  or  to  his  providential 
dealings  with  his  people.  They  saw  him,  and  they 
adored  him,  in  the  works  of  creation.  From  these 
they  drew  many  beautiful  similies,  and  inculcated 
much  important  and  humbling  instruction.  "  The 
heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament 
showeth  his  handiwork.  Day  unto  da}'  uttereth 
speech,  and  night  unto  night  showeth  knowledge. 
There  is  no  speech  nor  language  where  their  voice  is 
not  heard."  Again,  "  When  I  consider  thy  heavens 
the  work  of  thy  fingers,  the  moon  and  the  stars  which 
thou  hast  ordained,  what  is  man  that  thou  art  mind- 
ful of  him  ;  and  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  vi  si  test 
him!" 

Our  duties  also  afford  very  copious  subjects  for  our 
meditation.    Thus  the  apostle  Paul  enumerates  many 
particulars   of  a  very   comprehensive   nature,  anc 
recommends  them  to  the  contemplation  of  his  favorite 
Philippians :  "  Whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever 
things  are  honest,  whatsoever  things  are  just,  whatso- 
ever things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely, 
whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report  ;  if  there  be  any 
virtue,  if  there  be  any  praise,  think  on  these  things.' 
To  this  exhortation  he  adds  these  memorable  words 
w  Those  things  which  ye  have  both  learned,  and  re- 
ceived, and  heard,  and  seen  in  me,  do ;  and  the  God 
of  peace  shall  be  with  you." 


No.  123. 


ON 


PUBLIC  WOKSHIP 


AND  THE 


APPROPRIATION  OF  ONE  DAY  IN  THE 
WEEK  FOR  THIS  PURPOSE. 


BY  HEXR'/tUKE. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRXEVDS, 
Xo.  o04  Arch  Street. 


ON  PUBLIC  WORSHIP, 

AND  THE 

APPROPRIATION  OF  ONE  DAY  IN  THE  WEEK 
FOR  THIS  PURPOSE. 


rnilE  public  worship  of  the  Almighty  is  a  special 
duty  of  all  men,  who  have  opportunity  and  ability 
for  it.  This  results  from  the  relation  in  which  we  all 
stand  to  God,  as  our  Creator,  Preserver,  and  Benefac- 
tor. Common  benefits  demand  united  thanksgiving 
and  praises.  A  social  acknowledgment  of  these  mer- 
cies and  blessings,  not  only  becomes  us,  as  dependent 
beings,  but  is  attended  with  various  advantages. 
The  rich  and  prosperous,  when  thus  assembled  with 
the  poor  and  afflicted,  and  acknowledging  their  de- 
pendence on  the  same  great  Benefactor,  may  learn 
humility,  and  be  led  to  sentiments  of  charity  towards 
their  fellow-creatures.  The  children  of  poverty  and 
distress,  whilst  assembled  with  the  opulent,  and  join- 
ing them  in  solemn  worship,  may  feel  that  they  are 
all  the  offspring  of  one  gracious  Parent,  all  equally 
dependent  on  his  bounty  and  goodness ;  and  from 
those  feelings  they  may  learn  to  support,  with  resig- 

3 


4 


O  N   PUBLIC  WORSHIP. 


nation  and  hope,  that  allotment  which  the  Father  of 
mercies  has  assigned  to  them.  In  the  one  class,  senti- 
ments of  pride  and  contempt  for  others,  are  likely  to 
be  suppressed  ;  and  in  the  other  envy,  discontent,  and 
murmuring  are  discouraged.  Whatever  differences 
may  elsewhere  exist  among  men,  in  the  presence  of 
the  Divine  Being  "  the  rich  and  the  poor  meet 
together:  the  Lord  is  the  maker  of  them  all." 

The  Holy  Scriptures  inform  us,  that  this  duty  had 
been  practised  in  all  ages,  by  those  who  had  been  dis- 
tinguished for  piety  and  virtue.  In  early  times  the 
sacrifices  of  animals,  or  offerings  of  the  fruits  of  the 
earth,  were  the  most  common  mode  of  publicly 
acknowledging  a  dependence  on  the  Divine  Being, 
and  were  most  probably  of  Divine  institution ;  but 
when  it  pleased  the  Almighty  to  separate  from  the 
rest  of  mankind  a  people  whom  he  distinguished  by 
peculiar  precepts  and  favors,  it  appears  that  in  addi- 
tion to  those  offerings,  they  met  together  for  the  per- 
formance of  Divine  worship :  "  Ye  shall  keep  my 
sabbaths,  and  reverence  my  sanctuary ;  I  am  the 
Lord."  This  precept  points  out  the  institution  of  a 
time  and  place  for  public  worship ;  and  they  were 
both  religiously  observed  by  the  pious  among  the 
Jews ;  though  there  is  reason  to  believe  they  were 
much  neglected  by  many  of  another  description. 

The  Psalmist,  with  that  humble  piety  which  pecu- 
liarly distinguishes  his  character,  is  an  eminent  in- 
stance of  public  as  well  as  private  devotion :  "  As  for 
me,  I  will  come  into  thy  house  in  the  multitude  of 
thy  mercy,  and  in  thy  fear  will  I  worship  towards  thy 


OX   PUBLIC   WORSHIP.  5 

holy  temple."  Again,  "We  will  go  into  his  taber- 
nacle ;  we  will  worship  at  his  footstool."  And  in 
order  that  he  may  perform  this  service  acceptably,  he 
forms  an  excellent  resolution  :  "  I  will  wash  my  hands 
in  innocency  ;  so  will  I  compass  thy  altar,  0  Lord ! 
that  I  may  publish  with  the  voice  of  thanksgiving, 
and  tell  of  all  thy  wondrous  works."  Xor  was  it 
merely  as  an  obligation,  that  he  performed  this  im- 
portant duty  :  k-  His  delight  was  in  the  law  of  the 
Lord : "  and  this  made  the  performance  of  religious 
worship  a  grateful,  not  an  irksome  task.  "  Lord,  I 
have  loved  the  habitation  of  thy  house,  and  the  place 
where  thine  honor  dwelleth."  "How  amiable  are  thy 
tabernacles,  0  Lord  of  Hosts  I"  "  I  was  glad  when 
they  said  unto  me,  let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the 
Lord."  "For  a  day  in  thy  courts  is  better  than  a 
thousand.  I  had  rather  be  a  door-keeper  in  the  house 
of  my  God,  than  to  dwell  in  the  tents  of  wickedness." 

Although  the  Christian  dispensation  exempted  its 
professors  from  the  ceremonious  part  of  the  Jewish 
law,  it  did  not  by  any  means  exempt  them  from  the 
duty  of  public  worship.  AVe  have  the  examples  of 
our  Saviour  and  his  apostles,  in  support  of  this  prac- 
tice. The  apostle  Paul  is  indeed  very  strenuous  in 
inculcating  it :  "I  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the  mer- 
cies of  God,  that  ye  present  your  bodies  a  living  sacri- 
fice, holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  your  reason- 
able service  ;"  and  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
public  worship  is  thus  excellently  illustrated  and  en- 
forced: "Having  therefore,  brethren,  boldness  to  enter 
into  the  holiest,  by  the  blood  of  Jesus :  by  a  new  and 


6 


ON   PUBLIC  WORSHIP. 


living  way,  which  he  hath  consecrated  for  us  through 
the  veil,  that  is  to  say,  his  flesh  ;  and  having  an  High 
Priest  over  the  house  of  God,  let  us  draw  near  with 
a  true  heart,  in  full  assurance  of  faith  ;  —  not  forsaking 
the  assembling  of  ourselves  together,  as  the  manner  of 
some  is ;  but  exhorting  one  another,  and  so  much  the 
more,  as  ye  see  the  day  approaching." 

The  Christian  religion  has,  however,  freed  its  pro- 
fessors from  heing  confined  to  particular  places,  for 
the  performances  of  religious  worship.  Thus  our 
Saviour  taught  his  disciples:  "  Where  two  or  three 
are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the 
midst  of  them:"  and  in  the  memorable  conversation 
which  he  held  with  the  Samaritan  woman,  he  showed 
that  public  worship  was  not  to  be  confined  to  any 
particular  place;  for  when  she  inquired  of  him  whether 
Jerusalem,  or  the  mountain  of  Samaria,  was  the  true 
place  of  worship,  he  set  them,  and,  by  consequence,  all 
other  particular  places,  aside,  as  heing  exclusively 
appropriated  to  this  purpose,  in  this  answer, — 
"  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour  cometh,  when  ye  shall 
neither  in  this  mountain,  nor  yet  at  Jerusalem,  wor- 
ship the  Father.  But  the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is, 
when  the  true  worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father 
in  spirit  and  in  truth  ;  for  the  Father  seeketh  such  to 
worship  him.  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that  worship 
him  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  Here 
we  see  the  fulfilling  of  the  evangelical  prophecy  :  "  In 
every  place,  incense  shall  be  offered  unto  my  name, 
and  a  pure  offering." 

Though  no  place  is  exclusively  essential  to  the  per- 


ON   PUBLIC  WORSHIP. 


7 


formance  of  public  worship ;  yet  some  place  is  necessary 
for  "the  assembling  of  ourselves  together;"  and  some 
time  must  be  peculiarly  appropriated  to  this  purpose. 
Under  the  Jewish  law,  and  most  probably  prior  to 
that  time,  the  seventh  day  of  the  week  was  set  apart 
for  this  service :  but  when  that  dispensation  was  abro- 
gated, the  primitive  Christians  thought  proper  to 
alter  the  time  from  the  seventh  to  the  first  day  of 
the  week.  Although  the  ceremonial  part  of  the 
Jewish  Sabbath  is  not  obligatory  upon  Christians,  yet 
several  of  the  reasons  assigned  for  its  institution, 
apply  to  us  equally  with  them.  Christians  in  all  ages 
have,  therefore,  agreed  in  the  appropriation  of  a 
seventh  day,  or  one  day  in  the  week,  to  be  particularly 
set  apart  for  public  worship,  and  for  other  means  of 
religious  improvement  ;  as  also  for  a  time  of  relaxa- 
tion and  rest  from  bodily  labor,  to  those  who  are 
subject  to  it.  This  indulgence  was  extended  under 
the  law  to  the  animal  creation,  as  well  as  to  those 
persons  who  are  in  a  state  of  servitude  and  bondage : 
"  That  thine  ox  and  thine  ass  may  rest ;  and  the  son  of 
thy  handmaid,  and  the  stranger  may  be  refreshed." 

The  religious  observance  of  one  day  in  the  week,  is 
of  so  much  importance  to  the  preservation  of  piety 
and  virtue  ;  and  the  neglect  of  it  is  so  evidently 
marked  with  irreligion,  and,  in  general,  with  im- 
morality, that,  however  necessary  it  is  to  avoid  the 
superstitious  observance  of  it,  which  our  Saviour  had 
occasion  to  censure,  in  the  time  of  his  personal 
appearance  on  earth  ;  yet  every  reasonable  considera- 
tion conspires  to  press  the  practice  closely  upon  us,  as 


8 


OX   PUBLIC  WORSHIP. 


affording  an  opportunity,  which  many  could  not 
otherwise  easily  obtain,  of  acquiring  religious  instruc- 
tion and  improvement ;  and  of  publicly  performing 
that  worship  which  is  due  unto  "  Him  that  made 
heaven  and  earth,  the  seas,  and  the*  fountains  of 
waters." 

The  pious  Christian  does  not,  however,  confine  his 
public  devotions  to  one  day  in  the  week.  Sensible 
of  the  obligation,  and  feeling  the  benefit  of  a  more 
frequent  performance  of  this  religious  service,  he  em- 
braces opportunities,  when  afforded  to  him,  of  attend- 
ing on  public  worship,  on  some  other  day,  or  days, 
than  that  which  is  especially  set  apart  for  this  pur- 
pose: and  although  this  may,  in  some  instances, 
require  him  to  leave  his  temporal  concerns,  and  may 
seem  to  be  attended  with  some  worldly  disadvantages ; 
yet  the  views  which  he  entertains  of  religious  obliga- 
tions, induce  him  to  follow  the  example  of  the  good 
king  David,  when,  on  a  certain  occasion,  he  made 
use  of  this  disinterested  language :  "  Neither  will  I 
offer  burnt-offerings  unto  the  Lord  my  God,  of  that 
which  doth  cost  me  nothing." 


No.  124. 


THANKSGIVING  AND  PRAISE. 


V 

BY  HEXRY  TURK. 


rpHAXKSGIYIXG  La  an  expression  of  our  gratitude 
-L  to  the  Divine  Being  for  favors  received.  Praise 
may  convey  a  sense  of  admiration,  as  well  as  of  grati- 
tude, and  is  applicable  to  the  power  and  wisdom  as 
well  as  to  the  goodness  of  God.  Thus  the  Psalmist : 
"Oh  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  good- 
ness, and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of 
men!" 

The  reasonableness  of  these  duties,  and  the  obliga- 
tions to  perform  them,  are  so  self-evident  to  every 
considerate  mind  that  believes  in  a  Divine  Being  and 
Providence,  that,  if  we  had  no  injunctions  to  the 
practice  of  them,  they  would  unavoidably  become  an 
almost  involuntary  eriusion  from  every  feeling  heart. 
But  it  is  to  be  regretted  that,  either  from  want  of 
consideration,  or  from  want  of  sensibility,  there  are 
among  those  who  are  surrounded  with  blessings  on 
every  hand,  many  who  are  inattentive  to  the  favors 
which  they  enjoy,  or  ungrateful  for  them.  Ingrati- 
tude to  the  Divine  Being  for  temporal  or  spiritual 
blessings,  is  a  sin  which  is  peculiarly  marked  by  his 


2 


THANKSGIVING  AND  PRAISE. 


displeasure.  Of  this  we  have  a  strong  proof  in  the 
instance  of  the  Israelites,  of  whom,  after  recapitulating 
the  peculiar  favors  by  which  they  had  been  distin- 
guished, it  is  said:  "  But  Jeshurun  waxed  fat  and 
kicked  ;  then  he  forsook  God  which  made  him,  and 
lightly  esteemed  the  Rock  of  his  salvation.  They 
provoked  him  to  jealousy  with  strange  gods ;  they 
sacrificed  unto  devils,  and  not  to  God.  And  when 
the  Lord  saw  it,  he  abhorred  them,  because  of  the 
provoking  of  his  sons,  and  of  his  daughters." 

Here  we  see  the  idolatry  of  the  Jews  described,  and 
the  consequence  of  their  ingratitude  for  the  blessings 
which  were  conferred  upon  them  ;  and  the  apostle,  in 
describing  the  depraved  state  of  the  heathen  world, 
both  in  its  religion  and  morality,  traces  it  to  the  same 
source :  "  Because  that  when  they  knew  God,  they 
glorified  him  not  as  God,  neither  were  thankful,  but 
became  vain  in  their  imaginations,  and  their  foolish 
heart  was  darkened :  professing  themselves  to  be  wise, 
they  became  fools,  and  changed  the  glory  of  the  in- 
corruptible God  into  an  image  made  like  to  corrupt- 
ible man,  and  to  birds,  and  four-footed  beasts,  and 
creeping  things.  Wherefore  God  also  gave  them  up 
to  uncleanness,  through  the  lusts  of  their  own  hearts, 
to  dishonor  their  own  bodies  between  themselves ; 
who  changed  the  truth  of  God  into  a  lie,  and  wor- 
shipped and  served  the  creature  more  than  the  Crea- 
tor, who  is  blessed  forever.  Amen."  When  we  con- 
sider these  lamentable  consequences,  as  the  result  of 
unthankfulness  and  ingratitude,  how  important  is  the 
exhortation  of  the  prophet  Jeremiah  :  "  Give  glory  to 
the  Lord  your  God  before  he  cause  darkness,  and 
before  your  feet  stumble  upon  the  dark  mountains ; 
and  while  ye  look  for  light,  he  turn  it  into  the 
shadow  of  death,  and  make  it  gross  darkness." 

Numerous  are  the  examples,  as  well  as  the  exhorta- 


THANKSGIVING  AND  PRAISE. 


3 


tions,  which  are  contained  in  the  Holy  Scripture?, 
and  particularly  in  the  book  of  Psalms,  relating  to 
this  subject,  from  which  it  may  be  sufficient  to  extract 
the  following :  "  It  is  a  good  thing  to  give  thanks 
unto  the  Lord,  and  to  sing  praises  unto  thy  name,  0 
Most  High  ;  to  show  forth  thy  loving-kindness  in  the 
morning,  and  thy  faithfulness  every  night.  Let  the 
people  praise  thee,  0  God  ;  let  all  the  people  praise 
thee.  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul  !  and  all  that  is 
within  me  bless  his  holy  name.  Bless  the  Lord.  0 
my  soul  I  and  forget  not  all  his  benehts  :  who  for- 
giveth  all  thy  iniquities;  who  healeth  all  thy  diseases: 
who  redeemeth  thy  life  from  destruction :  who 
crowneth  thee  with  loving-kindness  and  tender  mer- 
cies. Oh  '.  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his 
goodness,  and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children 
of  men." 

The  inspired  writers  of  the  Xew  Testament  like- 
wise furnish  us  with  many  incitements  to  this  duty. 
Christianity  itself  was  introduced  with,  M  Glory  to 
God  in  the  highest,"  as  an  acknowledgment  previous- 
ly neces-ary  to  the  promotion  of  "  peace  on  earth,  and 
good  will  towards  men."  We  rind  the  mother  of  our 
Lord  pouring  out  her  soul,  in  a  grateful  song  of  praise, 
which  begins  with  this  pious  language :  "  My  soul 
doth  magnify  the  Lord,  and  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced 
in  God  my  Saviour  —  for  he  that  is  mighty  hath  done 
to  me  great  things;  and  holy  is  his  name."  The 
apostle  Paul  very  pressingly  inculcates  an  attention 
to  these  duties.  "In  everything,"  says  he.  "give 
thanks,  for  this  is  the  will  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 
And  be  not  drunk  with  wiue.  wherein  is  excess,  but 
be  ye  filled  with  the  Spirit :  speaking  to  yourselves  in 
psalms,  and  hymns,  and  spiritual  songs :  Binging  and 
making  melody  in  your  heart  to  the  Lord  :  giving 
thanks  always,  for  all   things,  unto  God  and  the 


4 


THANKSGIVING  AND  PRAISE. 


Father,  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  By 
him,  therefore,  let  us  offer  the  sacrifice  of  praise  to 
God  continually,  that  is,  the  fruit  of  our  lips,  giving 
thanks  to  his  name." 

It  is  not,  however,  a  formal  performance  of  this 
duty  that  will  meet  with  Divine  approbation.  It 
must,  like  prayer,  be  the  product  of  an  humbled  and 
sanctified  heart.  When  this  is  attained  to,  thankful- 
ness and  praise  will  frequently  become  involuntary 
effusions,  and  ascend  with  acceptance  before  him  who 
is  the  giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift ;  and,  as 
this  state  of  mind  is  continued  in,  cpialification  will 
finally  be  experienced  to  join  with  that  innumerable 
multitude,  mentioned  in  the  book  of  Revelation, 
who  "  stood  before  the  throne  and  before  the  Lamb, 
clothed  with  white  robes,  saying,  Salvation  to  our 
God,  who  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the 
Lamb;"  to  which  sacred  anthem  the  whole  angelic 
host  returned  this  responsive  language :  "  Amen. 
Blessing,  and  glory,  and  wisdom,  and  thanksgiving, 
and  honor,  and  power,  and  might,  be  unto  our  God, 
forever  and  ever.  Amen." 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  304  Arch  Street,  Philadelubia. 


No.  12 


rATCHFULNE£ 


AND 


Waiting  upon  God, 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 


WATCHFULNESS 

AND 

WAITING  UPON  GOD. 


THESE  duties  are  intimately  connected  with  each 
other.  Watchfulness  is  an  exercise  of  the  mind, 
in  which  we  are  concerned  to  guard  against  the 
approach  and  attack  of  evil  on  the  one  hand,  and  on 
the  other  to  he  looking  for  and  ready  to  receive  the 
communication  of  Divine  good  to  the  soul.  The  last 
may  be  termed,  waiting  upon  God.  This  expression 
may  also  he  applied  to  a  dependence  on  the  Divine 
care  and  bounty  for  the  supply  of  our  spiritual  and 
temporal  wants,  and  patiently  waiting  the  Lord's 
time  for  this  supply. 

When  we  consider  how  we  are  surrounded  in  this 
world  by  temptations  to  evil  ;  how  much  our  own 
propensities  incline  us  to  comply  with  it  ;  and  that, 
in  addition  to  these  inducements,  there  is  also  an  un- 
wearied enemy  and  evil  spirit,  who  is  seeking  our 
destruction,  watchfulness  will,  appear  to  be  an  indis- 
pensable duty.  The  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil, 
are  all  represented  in  Holy  Writ  as  enemies,  against 
which  it  is  necessary  to  be  upon  our  guard.  "  The 
world  lieth  in  wickedness,  and  its  friendship  is 
enmity  with  God.  The  flesh  lusteth  against  the 
Spirit;"  and  so  powerful  is  that  enemy,  who  has 
these  weapons  to  war  with  against  our  happiness,  that 
an  apostle  formerly  gave  this  important  exhortation 
to  the  early  believers:  "Be  sober,  be  vigilant,  for 

2 


WATCHFULNESS  AND  WAITING  UPON  GOD.  3 


your  adversary  the  devil,  as  a  roaring  lion,  goeth 
about  seeking  whom  he  may  devour."  When  these 
considerations  have  taken  place  in  our  minds,  we 
shall  be  convinced  of  the  propriety  of  that  universal 
command  given  by  our  blessed  Saviour :  "  What  I 
say  unto  you,  I  say  unto  all,  watch."  Again, 
"  Watch  and  pray,  that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation." 
Thus  also  the  apostles :  14  Watch  ye,  stand  fast  in  the 
faith  ;  quit  you  like  men, be  strong."  "Let  us  watch 
and  be  sober."  "  Be  ye  therefore  sober,  and  watch 
unto  prayer." 

The  truly  humble-minded  Christian  is  frequently 
brought  to  feel  his  own  incapacity  for  every  good 
word  and  work.  He  is  often  made  sensible  of  that 
important  truth  inculcated  by  his  Divine  Master : 
44  2so  man  can  come  unto  me,  except  the  Father  which 
sent  me,  draw  him."  From  this  sense  and  feeling,  he 
finds  the  necessity  of  patiently  waiting  upon  God  for 
health  and  strength  in  the  performance  of  his  relig- 
ious duties.  The  benefit  of  this  state  of  mind  is  fre- 
quently described  in  Holy  Writ,  and  its  duty  strongly 
enforced :  44  Wait  on  the  Lord,  be  of  good  courage, 
and  he  shall  strengthen  thy  heart ;  wait,  I  say,  on  the 
Lord."  Again,  44 1  waited  patiently  for  the  Lord,  and 
he  inclined  unto  me,  and  heard  my  cry.  He  brought 
me  up  also  out  of  an  horrible  pit,  out  of  the  miry 
clayT  and  set  my  feet  upon  a  rock,  and  established  my 
goings ;  and  he  hath  put  a  new  song  in  my  mouth, 
even  praise  unto  our  God.  Many  shall  see  it  and 
fear,  and  shall  trust  in  the  Lord."  Thus  does  the 
royal  Psalmist  describe  the  beneficial  consequence  of 
waiting  upon  God,  and  Solomon  represents  wisdom 
—  the  wisdom  which  is  from  above  —  speaking  in 
this  maimer :  "  Blessed  is  the  man  that  heareth  me, 
watching  daily  at  my  gates,  waiting  at  the  posts  of 
my  doors." 


4     WATCHFULNESS  AND  WAITING  UPON  GOD. 

The  prophet  Habakkuk  appears  to  have  been  sensi- 
ble of  the  importance  of  this  duty,  both  for  his  own 
particular  benefit  and  for  the  fulfilment  of  his  pro- 
phetical office  :  "  I  will  stand  upon  my  watch,  and  set 
me  upon  the  tower,  and  will  watch  to  see  what  he 
will  say  unto  me,  and  what  I  shall  answer  when  I  am 
reproved."  In  this  state  of  mind  he  received  the 
Divine  communication  and  commission,  to  "  write 
the  vision,  and  make  it  plain  upon  tables,  that  he  may 
run  that  readeth  it."  Thus  also  we  find  the  apostles 
were  commanded  by  their  heavenly  Master,  previously 
to  their  entering  on  the  apostolical  office,  "  to  wait  at 
Jerusalem  for  the  promise  of  the  Father,  which," 
saith  he,  4*ye  have  heard  of  me." 

We  shall  conclude  this  subject  with  the  lively 
description  given  by  the  evangelical  prophet,  of  the 
benefits  arising  from  this  exercise  of  mind  :  "  Even 
the  youths  shall  faint  and  grow  weary,  and  the  young 
men  shall  utterly  fall ;  but  they  that  wait  upon  the 
Lord,  shall  renew  their  strength ;  they  shall  mount  up 
with  wings  as  eagles ;  they  shall  run,  and  not  be 
weary ;  they  shall  walk,  and  not  faint." 


No.  126. 


Obedience  and  Patience. 

BY  HENRY  TUKE. 


When  the  mind  is  impressed  with  the  belief  of  the 
power  and  goodness  of  God,  and  brought  under  the 
influence  of  that  love  and  fear  which  we  owe  to  Him, 
obedience  to  the  manifestations  of  his  will  becomes  the 
necessary  result  of  this  impression  and  influence.  Sim- 
ple obedience  to  the  Divine  will  is  an  indispensable 
obligation:  "To  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice,  and  to 
hearken  than  the  fat  of  rams." 

Fear  and  love  are  motives  which  are  essential  to  true 
obedience.  Under  the  law  it  was  commanded:  "Thou 
shalt  fear  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  serve  Him."  "Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  keep  his  charge,  and 
his  statutes,  and  his  judgments,  and  his  commandments 
alway."  "Ye  shall  observe  to  do  as  the  Lord  your 
God  hath  commanded  you:  ye  shall  not  turn  aside  to 
the  right  hand,  or  to  the  left;  that  ye  may  live,  and 
that  it  may  be  well  with  you."  "Thus  saith  the  Lord 
of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Israel :  Obey  my  voice,  and  walk 
ye  in  all  the  ways  that  I  have  commanded  you,  that  it 
may  be  well  unto  you." 

In  the  Xew  Testament,  the  importance  of  obedience 
to  the  Divine  will  and  commands  is  very  strongly  en- 
forced. Our  blessed  Redeemer  manifested  how  little 
he  sought  the  praise  of  men,  and  how  much  he  desired 


2 


OBEDIENCE  AND  PATIENCE. 


the  glory  of  his  Father,  and  the  real  good  of  mankind, 
when  he  gave  this  salutary  caution  to  his  hearers:  "Not 
every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord !  Lord !  shall  enter 
the  kingdom;  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my  father 
who  is  in  heaven."  Again  He  saith uu Ye  are  my 
friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you."  And 
it  was  the  observation  of  his  beloved  disciple,  "lie  that 
doeth  the  will  of  God,  abideth  forever." 

Besides  the  particular  instructions  given  by  the  apos- 
tles of  Christ,  the  general  duty  of  obedience,  or  keeping 
the  Divine  commands,  is  thus  enforced :  "  Not  the 
hearers  of  the  law  are  just  before  God,  but  the  doers 
of  the  law  shall  be  justified.  Be  ye  doers  of  the  word, 
and  not  hearers  only,  deceiving  your  ownselves.  This  is 
the  love  of  God,  that  we  keep  his  commandments :  and 
his  commandments  are  not  grievous.  Hereby  we  do 
know  that  we  know  Him,  if  we  keep  his  commandments. 
He  that  saith,  I  know  Him,  and  keepeth  not  his  com- 
mandments, is  a  liar;  and  the  truth  is  not  in  him.  But 
whoso  keepeth  his  word,  in  him,  verily,  is  the  love  of 
God  perfected."  When  we  consider  these  various  tes- 
timonies to  the  importance  of  the  practical  part  of  re- 
ligion ;  in  which  is  necessarily  involved  a  belief  of  its 
doctrines,  because  these  are  likewise  Divine  commands ; 
we  shall  see  the  propriety  of  that  conclusion,  to  which 
Solomon,  after  all  his  researches,  was  brought:  "Fear 
God  and  keep  his  commandments,  for  this  is  the  whole 
duty  of  man." 

Intimately  connected  with  obedience,  is  the  duty  of 
patience  :  by  which  is  understood  the  bearing  with  for- 
titude of  mind  and  resignation  to  the  Divine  will,  what- 
ever is  permitted  to  befall  us  in  this  probationary  state 
of  existence.  Obedience  and  patience,  or  to  do  and 
suffer  the  whole  will  of  God,  may  be  said  to  compre- 
hend the  whole  of  those  duties  which  religion  and  vir- 
tue require.  Patience,  therefore,  holds  an  important 
place  among  the  duties  of  a  Christian.  His  life  is  aptly 
compared  to  a  state  of  warfare,  in  which  he  has  not 


OBEDIENCE  AND  PATIENCE. 


3 


only  much  to  do,  but  much  to  bear.  He  must,  in  com- 
mon with  other  men,  submit  to  many  privations  and 
trials;  and  sometimes  his  religion  will  subject  him  to 
more  ;  for  which,  however,  it  affords  an  ample  compen- 
sation. Bat  as  this  compensation  is  not  always  imme- 
diate, we  are  called  upon  by  our  faith,  our  hope,  and 
our  love  to  the  Supreme  Being,  without  whose  provi- 
dential attention,  we  are  told,  not  a  hair  of  our  heads 
falleth  to  the  ground,  to  bear  with  holy  resignation, 
whatever  He  permits  to  befall  us;  and,  in  conformity  to 
those  excellent  examples  which  are  transmitted  to  us  in 
Holy  Writ,  to  say,  when  sufferings  and  trials  are  our 
lot :  "  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away; 
blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord."  "  ISfot  my  will,  but 
thine  be  done.  The  cup  which  my  Father  hath  given 
me,  shall  I  not  drink  it  ?  " 

When  our  Lord  was  apprising  his  disciples  of  the 
afflictions  which  would  befall  them,  He  gave  them  this 
seasonable  exhortation :  "In  your  patience  possess  ye 
your  souls ;  "  which  we  afterwards  find,  when  their 
Lord's  predictions  were  verified,  they  had  so  attended 
to  his  instructions  as  to  be  able  to  say  :  "  We  glory  in 
tribulations :  knowing  that  tribulation  worketh  pa- 
tience; and  patience,  experience;  and  experience, hope; 
and  hope  maketh  not  ashamed,  because  the  love  of  God 
is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  which 
is  given  unto  us.  For  which  cause  we  faint  not ;  but 
though  our  outward  man  perish,  yet  the  inward  man  is 
renewed  day  by  day:  for  our  light  affliction,  which  is 
but  for  a  moment,  worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding 
and  eternal  weight  of  glory;  while  we  look  not  at  the 
things  which  are  seen,  but  at  the  things  which  are  not 
seen;  for  the  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal;  but 
the  things  which  are  not  seen  are  eternal."  The  author 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  gives  the  following  in- 
structive exhortations  on  this  subject:  " My  son,  despise 
not  thou  the  chastening  of  the  Lord,  nor  faint  when 
thou  art  rebuked  of  him;  for  whom  the  Lord  loveth 


4 


OBEDIENCE  AND  PATIENCE. 


He  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every  son  whom  He  re- 
ceiveth.  We  have  had  fathers  of  our  flesh  who  cor- 
rected us,  and  we  gave  them  reverence :  shall  we  not 
much  rather  be  in  subjection  to  the  Father  of  spirits, 
and  live?  For  they,  verily,  for  a  few  days  chastened 
us,  for  their  own  pleasure;  but  He  for  our  profit,  that 
we  might  be  partakers  of  his  holiness.  Now  no  chas- 
tening, for  the  present,  seemeth  to  be  joyous,  but  griev- 
ous ;  nevertheless,  afterward  it  yieldeth  the  peaceable 
fruit  of  righteousness  unto  them  which-  are  exercised 
thereby." 

The  apostle  James,  among  other  exhortations  to  the 
duty  of  patience,  gives  the  following :  "  Take,  my  breth- 
ren, the  prophets,  who  have  spoken  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  for  an  example  of  suffering  affliction,  and  of  pa- 
tience. Behold,  we  count  them  happy  which  endure. 
Ye  have  heard  of  the  patience  of  Job,  and  have  seen  the 
end  of  the  Lord;  that  the  Lord  is  very  pitiful,  and  of 
tender  mercy." 

As  affliction  is  more  or  less  the  lot  of  humanity,  it  is 
of  the  utmost  importance  that  we  endeavor  to  have  our 
minds  fortified  by  patience,  which  may  be  called  the 
stronghold  of  religion  and  virtue.  To  this  end  it  may 
be  beneficial  to  us  to  consider,  how  much  we  enjoy,  or 
may  enjoy,  and  of  how  little  we  are  worthy.  Humility 
is  the  ground- work  of  patience.  It  gives  light  to  the 
mind  and  strength  to  the  heart.  Says  Solomon,  "But 
if  thou  faint  in  the  day  of  adversity,  thy  strength  is 
small."  The  humble,  resigned  mind  knows  that  all 
things  shall  w^ork  together  for  good ;  and  in  times  of 
affliction  is  enabled  to  say  with  the  prophet:  "Although 
the  fig-tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither  shall  fruit  be  in 
the  vines;  the  labor  of  the  olive  shall  fail,  and  the  fields 
shall  yield  no  meat,  the  flock  shall  be  cut  off  from  the 
fold,  and  there  shall  be  no  herd  in  the  stalls;  yet  I  will 
rejoice  in  the  Lord;  I  will  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salva- 
tion." 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a. 


No.  127. 


REPENTANCE  TOWARDS  GOD. 

AND 

Faith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


BY  HENRY  TUKE. 


WHEX  we  consider  the  number  and  extent  of  our 
duties  to  God,  on  the  one  hand  ;  and  the  deprav- 
ity and  frailty  of  human  nature,  on  the  other ;  we 
must  suppose  that  the  neglect  or  violation  of  these 
duties  will,  at  times,  take  place,  even  with  those  who 
may  make  the  most  early  and  regular  advances  in  the 
way  of  holiness  ;  but  with  respect  to  the  generality 
of  mankind,  this  neglect  and  violation  are  so  preva- 
lent, and  self-evident,  that  any  attempt  to  demonstrate 
them  would  be  superfluous.  If,  therefore,  it  is,  as  it 
ought  to  be,  a  matter  of  concern  to  us,  to  live  and  die 
in  the  Divine  favor,  repentance,  united  with  amend- 
ment of  life,  becomes  an  indispensable  duty. 

The  very  first  sermons  which  were  preached  both 
by  our  Saviour,  and  his  forerunner,  the  Baptist,  were 
on  the  subject  of  repentance  ;  and  (in  a  few  energetic 
expressions)  they  thus  enforced  this  first  principle  of 
the  doctrine  of  Christ :  k'  Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand."  "  Bring  forth,  therefore,  fruits 
meet  for  repentance."    With  these  precepts  was  laid, 


2 


BEPENTANCK  TOWARDS  GOD. 


as  it  were,  the  foundation  of  that  religion,  with  which 
the  world  has  been  blessed  through  Jesus  Christ. 
Repentance  was,  no  doubt,  always  a  necessary  duty, 
since  the  transgression  of  our  first  parents:  but  the 
gospel  dispensation  being  more  particularly  applied 
to  the  depraved  state  of  human  nature,  this  first  work 
of  true  religion  is  primarily  inculcated.  We  also  find, 
that  when  the  disciples  went  forth  to  preach  and  to 
teach,  this  appears  to  have  been  the  first  and  princi- 
pal part  of  their  mission  :  for  we  are  told  by  one  of  the 
Evangelists,  that  "  they  went  out  and  preached  that 
men  should  repent."  After  the  ascension  of  our  Lord, 
and  the  pouring  forth  of  the  Spirit  on  the  apostles 
and  disciples,  we  find  the  doctrine  of  repentance  was 
preached  in  this  powerful  language :  "  Repent  ye, 
therefore,  and  be  converted ;  that  your  sins  may  be 
blotted  out,  when  the  times  of  refreshing  shall  come 
from  the  presence  of  the  Lord :  and  he  shall  send 
Jesus  Christ,  which  before  was  preached  unto  you." 

In  that  excellent  relation  of  his  gospel  labors,  which 
the  apostle  Paul  gave  to  the  elders  of  Ephesus,  we  may 
perceive  that  repentance  formed  a  very  prominent 
part  in  the  doctrines  which  he  taught :  "  testifying 
(says  he)  both  to  the  Jews,  and  also  to  the  Greeks, 
repentance  towards  God,  and  faith  towards  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ." 

The  connection  of  repentance  with  faith  in  Christ, 
forms  a  peculiar  excellence  of  the  gospel  dispensation, 
and  to  which  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  attend. 
How  consoling  is  this  consideration  !  "  If  any  man 
sin,  we  have  an  advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ 
the  righteous :  and  he  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins: 
and  not  for  ours  only,  but  also  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world."  Numerous  are  the  testimonies  in  Holy  Writ 
to  this  gracious  design  of  our  merciful  Redeemer. 
The  evangelical  prophet  strongly  and  clearly  speaks 


REPENTANCE  TOWARDS  GOD. 


3 


of  it :  iw  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions ;  the 
chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  him,  and  with  his 
stripes  arc  we  healed.  All  we,  like  sheep,  have  gone 
astray;  we  have  turned  every  one  to  his  own  way  ; 
and  the  Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all." 
This  passage  was  opened  to  the  Ethiopian  eunuch,  and 
applied  to  Christ  by  Philip  the  Evangelist. 

The  doctrine  of  faith  in  Christ,  as  the  means  of 
reconciliation  with  God,  is  forcibly  inculcated  in  the 
writings  of  the  apostles.  To  repeat  all  that  they  say 
on  this  subject,  would  be  to  transcribe  a  large  portion 
of  their  Epistles.  We  are  told  by  our  Saviour  him- 
self, when  some  inquired  of  him,  "  What  shall  we  do, 
that  we  may  work  the  works  of  God  ?  This  is  the 
work  of  God,  that  ye  believe  on  him,  whom  God  hath 
sent.*'  The  importance  of  this  belief,  or  faith,  is  thus 
inculcated  by  the  apostle  Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to  the 
Romans:  "Now  the  righteousness  of  God  without 
the  law,  is  manifested,  being  witnessed  by  the  law  and 
the  prophets  :  even  the  righteousness  of  God,  which  is 
by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  unto  all,  and  upon  all  them 
that  believe ;  for  there  is  no  difference  ;  for  all  have 
sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God ;  being 
justified  freely  by  his  grace,  through  the  redemption 
that  is  in  Christ  Jesus ;  whom  God  hath  set  forth,  to 
be  a  propitiation  through  faith  in  his  blood,  to  declare 
his  righteousness  for  the  remission  of  sins  that  are 
past,  through  the  forbearance  of  God.'' 

The  author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  largely 
exemplifies  the  doctrine  of  Christian  redemption.  The 
eighth,  ninth,  and  tenth  chapters  are  particularly 
forcible  and  interesting,  in  the  manner  in  which  this 
subject  is  treated ;  and  it  will  be  proper  to  recite,  in 
this  place,  some  of  the  pertinent  exhortations  and  ob- 
servations with  which  he  closes  the  subject:  "Hav- 
ing, therefore,  brethren,  boldness  to  enter  into  the 


4 


REPENTANCE  TOWARDS  GOD. 


holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by  a  new  and  living 
way,  which  he  hath  consecrated  for  us  through  the 
veil, —  that  is  to  say,  his  flesh:  and  having  a  High 
Priest  over  the  house  of  God  ;  let  us  draw  near  with 
a  true  heart,  in  full  assurance  of  faith."  "  He  that  de- 
spised Moses'  law  died  without  mercy- under  two  or 
three  witnesses :  of  how  much  sorer  punishment,  sup- 
pose ye,  shall  he  be  thought  worthy,  who  hath  trodden 
under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and  hath  counted  the  blood 
of  the  covenant  wherewith  he  was  sanctified,  an  un- 
holy thing,  and  hath  done  despite  unto  the  Spirit  of 
Grace?  For  we  know  him  that  hath  said,  Vengeance 
belongeth  unto  me;  I  will  recompense,  saith  the  Lord: 
and  again,  The  Lord  shall  judge  his  people.  It  is  a 
fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God." 

Seeing  then  that  our  duty  and  interest  are  both  in- 
timately connected  with  our  possessing  faith  in  Christ ; 
let  us  embrace  it  with  full  purpose  of  heart,  and 
hold  fast  the  profession  of  it  without  wavering.  Yet 
let  us  not  forget  that  "  faith  without  works  is  dead, 
being  alone ; "  and  that  we  ought,  therefore,  to  "  add 
to  our  faith,  virtue:"  and  to  hold  it  in  conjunction 
with  a  good  conscience :  thus  may  we  entertain  a  well- 
grounded  hope,  that,  when  this  probationary  state 
shall  terminate,  we  shall  "  receive  the  end  of  our  faith, 
even  the  salvation  of  our  souls."  

Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia. 


No.  128. 


TENDER  COUNSEL  AND  ADVICE. ' 

BY  WILLIAM  PENN. 


TO  all  those  who  are  sensible  of  their  day  of  visita- 
tion, and  who  have  received  the  call  of  the  Lord, 
by  the  Light  and  Spirit  of  his  Son  in  their  hearts,  to 
partake  of  the  great  salvation,  faith,  hope,  and  charity, 
which  overcome  the  world,  be  multiplied  among  you. 

Dwell  in  the  sense  that  God  hath  begotten  in  your 
hearts  by  the  Light  and  Spirit  of  his  Son,  who  is 
now  in  you,  reconciling  you  unto  himself.  Watch, 
that  this  blessed  sense  be  preserved  in  you,  and  it 
will  preserve  you.  For  where  the  holy  sense  is  lost, 
profession,  even  of  the  highest  truths,  cannot  pre- 
serve against  the  enemy's  assaults  ;  but  the  gates  of 
hell  will  prevail  against  them,  and  the  enemy's 
darts  will  wound  them,  and  they  will  be  carried 
again  captive  by  the  power  of  his  temptations. 
Live  and  abide  in  that  Light  and  Life  which  hath 
visited  you,  and  begotten  an  holy  sense  in  your 
hearts,  which  hath  made  sin  exceeding  sinful  to  you, 
and  you  weary  and  heavy-laden  under  the  burden  of 
it ;  and  hath  raised  in  you  spiritual  travail,  hunger 
and  thirst  after  your  Saviour,  that  he  might  deliver 
you ;  that  ye  might  be  filled  with  the  righteousness 
of  his  kingdom. 

God  hath  breathed  the  breath  of  life  in  you,  and 
in  measure  you  live ;  for  dead  men  and  women  do 
not,  or  hunger,  or  thirst ;  neither  do  they  feel  weights 
and  burdens,  as  you  do.     The  day  of  the  Lord  is 


TENDEB   COUNSEL   AND  ADVICE. 


dawned  upon  yon,  and  it  burnetii  as  an  oven.  It* 
the  desire  of  your  souls  be  to  bis  name,  you  will 
love  bis  judgments,  and  abide  there  the  days  he  al- 
loweth  for  your  purification.  He  hath  begotten  holy 
desires  in  you  ;  wherefore  look  to  Jesus,  who  is  the 
Author,  that  he  may  be  the  Finisher:  do  not  lose 
sight  of  him  ;  let  him  be  lifted  up  in  you,  and  your 
eye  to  him:  who,  wherever  he  is  lifted  up,  draweth 
all  men  after  him.  And  this  is  the  reason  why 
people  are  not  drawn  after  Christ,  because  he  is  not 
lifted  up  in  their  hearts,  he  is  not  exalted  in  their 
souls:  he  is  rejected,  oppressed,  crucified,  and  buried. 

You  are  called  out  of  the  world  by  him  that  hath 
overcome  the  world ;  that  as  he  is  not  of  this  world, 
so  you  may  not  be  of  this  world.  Come  then  out  of 
it  more  and  more,  out  of  the  nature,  out  of  the  spirit, 
out  of  the  fruits,  and  out  of  the  fashions  of  the 
world:  they  are  all  for  the  fire.  Christ  said  "the 
world  loveth  its  own.''  Search,  with  the  light  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  what  there  is  in  you  that  the  world 
loveth  and  owneth  ;  for  that  is  its  own.  And  con- 
sider what  it  is,  that  the  world  is  offended  with.  JSTot 
with  that  of  its  own  making  and  inventing,  but  that 
which  crosseth  its  invention,  that  is  of  another  nature, 
and  springeth  from  another  root.  Wherefore  give 
diligence  to  make  your  holy  high  calling  and  election 
sure.  For  many  are  called  and  few  are  chosen  ;  and 
the  reason  is,  they  are  "  slothful  servants,  they  hide 
their  talent  in  a  napkin,  neglect  the  day  of  their 
visitation,  and  work  not  out  their  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling."  They  are  saved  that  walk  in  the 
light.  Into  the  light  the  enemy  cannot  come;  for 
the  light  is  Christ  Jesus,  and  the  enemy  hath  no 
part  or  place  in  him.  He  goes  about  seeking  whom 
he  may  devour,  whom  he  can  catch  and  carry  away 
with  his  baits  and  snares.  Wherefore,  "  Wo  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth;"  that  is,  the  earthly  inhab- 
itants, such  as  love  and  live  in  the  earthly  nature ; 
for  such  shall  be  a  prey  to  him,  he  shall  have  power 
over  them,  and  keep  up  his  kingdom  in  them.  But 
those  that  receive  and  abide  in  Christ  Jesus,  the  Light, 
Life  and  Truth,  are  out  of  his  reach  ;  they  are  in  the 
"  munition  of  rocks,"  under  the  "  pavilion  of  the 


TENDER   C 0 D N S E L    A  N D    A D  V I C E  . 


3 


Lord."  in  the  safe  nvk  of  the  Most  High  God.  And 
that  none  may  make  shipwreck  of  those  holy  be- 
ginnings you  have  experienced  by  the  Light  and 
Spirit  of  the  Lord :  beware  of  vain  thoughts,  for 
they  oppress  and  extinguish  the  true  sense.  These 
vain  thoughts  arise  from  the  enemy's  presentations  of 
objects  to  the  mind,  and  the  mind  looking  upon 
them,  until  they  have  made  their  impressions,  and 
influenced  the  mind  into  a  love  of  them.  This  is  a 
false  liberty,  a  dangerous,  a  destructive  liberty,  to  the 
holy  sense  God  has  begotten  in  any.  For  as  this  is 
not  received,  but  hindered  by  such  thoughts,  so  it  is 
not  improved,  but  destroyed  by  them.  The  divine 
sense  in  the  soul  is  begotten  by  the  Lord.  T  is  his 
Life  and  Spirit,  his  Holy  breath  and  power,  that 
quickeneth  the  soul,  and  maketh  it  sensible  of  its  own 
state  and  of  God's  will ;  and  that  raiseth  fervent  de- 
sires in  it  to  be  eternally  blessed.  This  is  that  which 
Satan  rageth  at ;  he  feareth  his  kingdom  ;  lie  findeth 
that  He  is  come  that  will  cast  him  out  of  his  posses- 
sions. He  is  the  father  of  vain  thoughts  ;  all  those 
conceptions  that  grieve,  hurt,  or  oppress  that  holy 
sense,  which  is  begotten  of  God  in  the  soul.  0  the 
mountains  that  are  raised  between  God  and  the  soul 
by  vain  thoughts ;  how  doth  the  soul  come  under  an 
eclipse,  lose  sight,  and  at  last  all  right  sense  of  the 
living  God.  And  thus  many  have  lost  their  condition, 
and  questioned  all  former  experiences. 

When  the  enemy  cannot  succeed  in  this  manner,  he 
will  turn  accuser ;  and  aggravate  your  sins,  and  plead 
the  impossibility  of  their  remission ;  he  will  seem  to 
act  the  advocate  for  the  justice  of  God,  that  he  might 
cast  you  into  despondency,  that  you  may  doubt  of 
deliverance  and  salvation.  But  he  was  a  liar  from 
the  beginning ;  for  the  Lord  does  not  visit  the  souls 
of  men  to  destroy,  but  to  save  them.  Xeither  doth 
the  Lord  cause  his  people  to  hunger  and  thirst  after 
him,  and  not  fill  them  wi;h  his  good  things.  The 
enemy  hath  yet  a  more  pla  usible  device  to  hinder  a 
religious  work  in  the  soul ;  by  drawing  you  into 
imaginations  of  God,  and  Ciirist,  and  religion ;  and 
into  religious  duties,  not  in  God's  way  or  time ;  nor 
with  Christ's  spirit.    Here  he  is  transformed  into  the 


4 


TENDER   COUNSEL   AND  ADVICE. 


appearance  of  an  angel  of  Light,  and  would  seem 
religious,  yea,  a  leader  in  religion,  so  that  he  may  but 
keep  Christ  out  of  Ms  office,  whose  right  it  is  to  teach, 
prepare,  enable,  and  lead  his  children  with  his  holy 
power  and  Spirit.  If  he  can  but  keep  the  creature's 
will  alive,  he  knoweth  there  is  ground  for  him  to 
work  upon  ;  a  place  that  he  can  enter,  and  in  which 
his  seed  will  grow.  This  will  is  God's  enemy,  yea, 
the  soul's  enemy ;  and  all  will  worship  ariseth  hence. 
Let  all  beware  of  this ;  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  he  will 
be  worshipped  in  his  own  Spirit,  in  his  own  Life. 

One  sigh,  rightly  begotten,  outweigh eth  a  volume 
of  self-made  prayers.  For  that  which  is  born  of  the 
ilesh  is  flesh,  and  reacheth  not  to  God's  kingdom. 
But  a  sigh,  or  a  groan,  arising  from  a  living  sense  of 
God's  work  in  the  heart,  he  heareth  it,  and  his  Spirit 
helpeth  the  infirm ity.  "  For  the  oppression  of  the 
poor,  for  the  sighing  of  the  needy,  now  will  I  arise, 
saith  the  Lord." — Ps.  xii.  5. 

Therefore,  gird  up  the  loins  of  your  minds,  watch 
and  hope  to  the  end ;  be  not  slothful,  neither  strive ; 
despond  not,  nor  be  presumptuous.  Be  as  little  chil- 
dren ;  "  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God."  Dispute 
not,  neither  consult  with  flesh  and  blood.  Let  not 
the  prudence  of  this  world  draw  you  from  the  sim- 
plicity that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  Love  and  obe}'  the 
truth;  hide  his  living  Word  in  your  hearts;  though 
it  be  as  an  hammer,  a  fire,  a  sword,  yet  it  recon- 
ciled, and  bringeth  you  to  God,  and  will  be  sweeter 
to  you  that  love  it  than  honey.  Every  one  has  times 
of  temptation  and  trial  to  go  through.  Therefore, 
watch,  "  watch  and  pray,"  that  ye  enter  not  into 
temptation,  and  that  ye  fall  not  by  the  temptation. 
"  Now  to  him  that  is  able  to  keep  you  from  falling, 
and  to  present  you  faultless  before  the  presence  of  his 
glory  ,  with  exceeding  joy  ;  to  the  only  wise  God  our 
Saviour  be  glory  and  majesty,  dominion  and  power. 
Amen/' 

Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street  Philad'a. 


No.  1-29. 

THE  PRODIGAL 


"I  say  unto  you.  There  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the  angels  of  God,  over 
one  sinner  tha't  repenteth.  "— Luke  xv.  lu. 

To  illustrate  by  a  familiar  comparison,  the  love  and  com- 
pulsion of  our  heavenly  Father  for  all  men,  and  how  he 
would  have  those  who  are  wanderers  from  his  fold,  to 
repent  and  return  unto  him,  and  partake  of  the  joys  of  his 
salvation,  our  blessed  Saviour,  who  condescended  to  leave 
the  bosom  of  his  Father,  and  take  upon  himself  the  like- 
ness of  men,  to  lift  them  out  of  the  low  estate,  into  which 
thev  are  so  lamentably  fallen,  put  forth  this  parable. 

u  A  certain  man  had  two  sons  :  and  the  younger  of  them 
said  to  his  father,  Father,  give  me  the  portion  of  goods  that 
falleth  to  me.  And  he  divided  unto  them  his  living.  And 
not  many  days  after,  the  younger  son  gathered  all  together, 
and  took  his  journey  into  a  fir  country,  and  there  wasted 
his  substance  with  riotous  living.  And  when  he  had  spent 
all,  there  arose  a  mighty  famine  in  that  laud  :  and  he  began 
to  be  in  want.  And  he  went  and  joined  himself  to  a  citizen 
of  that  country :  and  he  sent  him  into  his  fields  to  feed 
swine.  And  he  would  fain  have  filled  his  belly  with  the 
husks  that  the  swine  did  eat :  and  no  man  gave  unto  him. 
And  when  he  came  to  himself,  he  said,  How  many  hired 
servants  of  my  father's  have  bread  enough  and  to  spare, 
and  I  perish  with  hunger  !  I  will  arise,  and  go  to  my 
father,  and  will  say  unto  him,  Father  I  have  sinned  against 
heaven,  and  before  thee,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be 
called  thy  son  :  make  me  as  one  of  thy  hired  servants. 
And  he  arose,  and  came  to  his  father.  But  when  he  was 
yet  a  great  way  off,  his  father  saw  him,  and  had  compassion, 
and  ran,  and  fell  on  his  neck,  and  kissed  him.    And  the 


2 


THE  PRODIGAL. 


son  said  unto  him,  Father,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven, 
and  in  thy  sight,  and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy 
son.  But  the  father  said  to  the  servants,  Bring  forth  the 
best  robe,  and  put  it  on  him ;  and  put  a  ring  on  his  hand, 
and  shoes  on  his  feet :  and  bring  hither  the  fatted  calf,  and 
kill  it ;  and  let  us  eat,  and  be  merry :  for  this  my  son  was 
dead,  and  is  alive  again;  he  was  lost,  and  is  found." — 
Luke  xv.  11,  &c. 

Dear  reader ;  if  thou  art  a  wanderer  from  thy  heavenly 
Father's  house  and  rest,  and  art  conscious  that  thou  art  in 
a  land  of  famine,  and  that  thy  spiritual  food  is  as  husks, 
that  cannot  satisfy  the  needs  of  thy  immortal  soul  ;  and 
dost  remember  the  sweet  incomes  of  thy  heavenly  Father's 
love  in  the  days  of  thy  innocency ;  before  the  evil  days 
came;  Oh,  consider  that  his  omniscient  eye  sees  thee,  and 
that  this  is  his  love,  and  holy  Spirit  striving  with  thee  to 
bring  thee  back ;  and  giving  thee  a  sense  of  thy  loss.  And 
if  thou  wilt  arise  in  this  strength  which  he  gives,  and  re- 
turn to  thy  Father,  he  will  have  compassion  on  thee,  and 
meet  thee  a  great  way  off ;  for,  "  He  that  covereth  his  sins 
shall  not  prosper  :  but  whoso  confesseth  and  forsaketh  them 
shall  have  mercy."  He  will  indeed  strip  away  thy  tattered 
garments,  and  wash  thee  in  the  fountain  opened  for  sin  and 
uncleanness.  He  will  clothe  thee  with  his  robe  of  righteous- 
ness, and  put  a  ring  on  thy  hand,  and  shoes  of  peace  on  thy 
feet,  whereby  thou  canst  walk  safely.  He  will  feed  thee  with 
meat  from  his  table ;  and  give  thee  to  partake  of  the  ne^v 
wine  of  his  Kingdom,  and  as  thou  continuest  to  yield  im- 
plicit obedience  to  his  requirements,  and  to  walk  with  him 
in  the  regeneration,  thou  wilt  be  permitted  to  join  that  great 
multitude,  which  no  man  could  number,  who  have  washed 
their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb ; 
who  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more;  and 
God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes. 


Published  fcy  the  Tract  Association  %f  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia, 


No.  130. 

HOW 


TO 

BECOME  HAPPY. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PPBIISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OP  FRTEXDS, 
No.  30-4  Arch  Street. 


HOW  TO  BECOME  HAPPY. 


When  we  do  anything  which  we  feel  to  be  wrong, 
h,  feeling  of  reproof  arises  in  our  minis  which  de- 
st  r  oys  our  peace  and  comfort.  It  makes  us  uneasy  and 
unhappy.  This  feeling  comes  not  only  to  men  and 
women,  but  to  children  also.  When  we  are  tempted 
to  be  angry  with  our  companions,  to  say  what  is  not 
true,  to  take  what  belongs  to  another,  or  to  do  any- 
thing else  that  is  wicked,  we  feel  that  these  things 
are  wrong,  and  that  we  ought  not  to  act  in  such  a 
manner.  If  we  obey  this  feeling,  which  would  re- 
strain us  from  evil,  we  are  rewarded  by  a  feeling  of 
peace;  but  if  we  yield  to  the  temptation  to  do  evil, 
a  sense  of  condemnation  follows,  which  destroys  for 
the  time  our  happiness. 

That  which  comforts  us  when  we  do  right,  and 
reproves  us  when  we  do  wrong,  is  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  who  created  us.  He  is  very  merciful  and  kind 
to  us,  and  He  designs  that  we  should  be  happy  in 
this  life,  and  that  after  death  our  spirits  should  for- 
ever be  happy  with  Him.  But  He  is  a  pure  and 
holy  being,  and  we  cannot  be  happy  in  His  presence 
without  we  also  be  made  pure  and  holy.  Therefore, 
He  warns  us  against  everything  which  is  wrong  and 
sinful,  and  encourages  us  in  those  things  which  are 
right  and  good,  so  that  He  may  prepare  us  to  enjoy 
eternal  happiness. 

If  we  refuse  to  obey  His  warnings,  and  go  on  com- 
mitting sin  after  sin,  we  become  more  and  more 
wicked;  and  if  we  continue  in  this  state  until  the 
end  of  life,  we  must  be  forever  separated  from  His 
presence  and  be  eternally  wretched.  But  so  great  is 
the  love  of  God  towards  us,  that  He  sent  His  Son, 
our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  into  the  world 


HOW   TO   BECOME  HAPPY. 


3 


to  save  us  from  so  dreadful  a  state.  He  came,  as  the 
Holy  Scriptures  declare,  that  we  might  have  life, 
that  is,  spiritual  and  eternal  life.  Jesus  Christ,  when 
on  earth,  taught  men  bow  to  live  so  as  to  receive  the 
Divine  blessing ;  and  for  Christ's  sake,  God  is  will- 
ing to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  continue  to  love  us 
freely  if  we  will  obey  His  commandments.  He  also 
promised  His  disciples  that  He  would  send  the  Com- 
forter, which  is  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  to  teach  them 
what  they  should  do,  and  should  guide  them  through 
life,  so  that  they  might  receive  eternal  happiness 
hereafter. 

Reader,  this  is  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God, 
through  Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  which 
teaches  thee  that  thou  must  not  lie,  or  steal,  or  envy 
the  blessing  of  thy  neighbor,  or  indulge  to  excess 
in  eating  or  drinking,  or  use  bad  language,  or  injure 
another,  or  do  anything  which  is  evil.  It  leads  thee 
to  speak  the  truth,  to  be  temperate,  honest,  just, 
kind,  merciful,  to  avoid  evil  thoughts,  to  love  all 
men  and  seek  to  do  them  good. 

It  works  in  the  hearts  of  all,  even  of  those  who 
never  heard  of  the  coming  of  Christ  on  earth.  It 
is  spoken  of  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  as  the  Grace  of 
God,  which  it  is  declared  hath  appeared  unto  all 
men,  and  which  teaches  them  to  live  soberly,  right- 
eously, and  godly  in  this  world.  It  not  only  shows 
us  what  is  wrong,  but  it  gives  us  power  to  turn  from 
and  resist  it.  When  thou  art  tempted  to  do  evil, 
this  Divine  Grace  will  warn  thee  against  it ;  and  if 
thou  yield  thy  mind  to  its  influence  and  turn  from 
the  evil,  it  will  give  thee  strength  to  do  the  Lord's 
will,  and  thus  preserve  thee  from  evil.  By  acting  in 
this  way  thou  wilt  find  favor  with  the  Lord,  and  He 
will  often  reward  thee  with  a  sweet  feeling  of  peace 
and  tenderness  of  heart.    Thus  thou  wilt  learn  to 


4 


HOW   TO   BECOME  HAPPY. 


love  the  Lord  more  and  more,  and  to  obey  His  com- 
mands ;  and  He  will  forgive  thy  sins,  and  enable  thee 
to  trust  in  His  goodness  and  mercy.  As  thou  livest 
in  His  love  and  holy  fear,  doing  His  will,  He  will 
give  thee  a  hope  and  faith  that  when,  thou  lea  vest 
this  state  of  being  thou  shalt  be  prepared,  through 
His  help  and  mercy,  to  enjoy  pure  happiness  here- 
after with  Him  and  with  the  good  of  all  ages  and 
nations.  This  will  make  thee  very  watchful  and 
careful  not  to  offend  so  gracious  a  master,  and  thou 
wilt  be  afraid  to  indulge  a  wicked  thought,  knowing 
it  pollutes  thy  soul  and  is  displeasing  to  the  Lord. 

But  if  thou  refuse  to  submit  thy  will  to  the  Lord's 
will,  and  disregards  His  Divine  Grace  or  Spirit  by 
doing  what  thou  feelest  to  be  wrong,  thou  wilt  grow 
worse  and  worse.  The  devil  who  tempts  us  to  sin 
will  have  more  and  more  power  over  thee,  and  thou 
wilt  become  more  and  more  like  him.  Thou  wilt 
have  no  pleasure  in  the  society  of  good  people,  nor 
in  thinking  of  the  Lord  thy  Creator.  Thou  wilt 
seek  the  company  of  sinners  like  thyself,  and  if 
death  should  overtake  thee  in  that  condition,  thou 
must  dwell  hereafter  with  the  wicked. 

Dear  reader,  choose  that  which  is  good  and  refuse 
the  evil,  and  may  the  Lord  bless  thee  and  help  thee 
to  love  Him,  and  keep  His  holy  law  in  thy  heart,  as 
He  shows  it  unto  thee. 


No.  131. 


IS  TEMPERATE  DRINKING  SAFE? 


At  a  certain  town  meeting  in  Pennsylvania,  the  question  came 
up  whether  any  persons  should  be  licensed  to  sell  rum.  The 
clergyman,  the  deacon,  the  physician,  strange  as  it  may  now 
appear,  all  favored  it.  Only  one  man  spoke  against  it,  because 
of  the  mischief  it  did.  The  question  was  about  to  be  put,  when 
there  arose  from  one  corner  of  the  room  a  miserable  woman. 
She  was  thinly  clad,  and  her  appearance  indicated  the  utmost 
wretchedness,  and  that  her  mortal  career  was  almost  closed. 
After  a  moment's  silence,  and  all  eyes  being  fixed  upon  her, 
she  stretched  her  attenuated  body  to  its  utmost  height,  and 
then  her  long  arms  to  their  greatest  length,  and  raising  her 
voice  to  a  shrill  pitch,  she  called  to  all  to  look  upon  her. 

"  Yes !"  she  said,  "  look  upon  me,  and  then  hear  me.  All 
that  the  last  speaker  has  said  relative  to  temperate  drinking, 
as  being  the  father  of  drunkenness,  is  true.  All  practice,  all 
experience,  declares  its  truth.  All  drinking  of  alcoholic  poison, 
as  a  beverage  in  health,  is  excess.  Look  upon  me  !  You  all 
know  me,  or  once  did.  You  all  know  I  was  once  the  mistress 
of  the  best  farm  in  the  town  ;  you  all  know,  too,  I  had  one  of 
the  best— the  most  devoted  of  husbands.  You  all  know  I  had 
fine,  noble-hearted,  industrious  boys.  Where  are  they  now? 
Doctor,  where  are  they  now  ?  You  all  know.  You  all  know 
they  lie  in  a  row,  side  by  side,  in  yonder  churchyard ;  all — 


*2 


IS  TEMPERATE  DRINKING  SAFE? 


every  one  of  them,  filling  the  drunkard's  grave !  They  were 
all  taught  to  believe  that  temperate  drinking  was  safe — that 
excess  alone  ought  to  be  avoided ;  and  they  never  acknowledged 
excess.  They  quoted  you,  and  you,  and  you  (pointing  with 
her  shred  of  a  finger  to  the  minister,  deacon,  and  doctor,)  as 
authority.  They  thought  themselves  safe  under  such  teachers. 
But  I  saw  the  gradual  change  coming  over  my  family  and  its 
prospects,  with  dismay  and  horror.  I  felt  we  were  all  to  be 
overwhelmed  in  one  common  ruin.  I  tried  to  ward  off  the 
blow ;  I  tried  to  break  the  spell,  the  delusive  spell,  in  which 
the  idea  of  the  benefits  of  temperate  drinking  had  involved 
my  husband  and  sons.  I  begged,  I  prayed  ;  but  the  odds  were 
against  me. 

"  The  minister  said  the  poison  that  was  destroying  my  hus- 
band and  boys  was  a  good  creature  of  God  ;  the  deacon  who 
sits  under  the  pulpit  there,  and  took  our  farm  to  pay  his  rum 
bills,  sold  them  the  poison  ;  the  doctor  said  a  little  was  good, 
and  the  excess  only  ought  to  be  avoided.  My  poor  husband, 
and  my  dear  boys  fell  into  the  snare,  and  they  could  not  escape ; 
and,  one  after  another,  were  conveyed  to  the  sorrowful  grave 
of  the  drunkard.  Now  look  at  me  again.  You  probably  see 
me  for  the  last  time.  My  sands  have  almost  run.  I  have 
dragged  my  exhausted  frame  from  my  present  home — your 
poor  house — to  warn  you  all ;  to  warn  you,  deacon  !  to  warn 
you,  false  teacher  of  God's  word !"  And  with  her  arms  flung 
high,  and  her  tall  form  stretched  to  its  utmost,  and  her  voice 
raised  to  an  unearthly  pitch,  she  exclaimed,  "I  shall  soon 
stand  before  the  judgment  seat  of  God.  I  shall  meet  you 
there,  you  false  guides,  and  be  a  witness  against  you  all !" 

The  miserable  woman  vanished.  A  dead  silence  pervaded 
the  assembly ;  the  minister,  the  deacon  and  physician,  hung 
their  heads ;  and  when  the  president  of  the  meeting  put  the 
question,  "Shall  any  licenses  be  granted  for  the  sale  of  spirit- 
uous liquors  ?"  the  unanimous  response  was,  "  No !" — Memoir 
of  Geo.  N.  Briggs,  Ex-  Governor  of  Mass. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a. 


No.  132. 


Faithfulness  in  Little  Things 

BY  FENELON,  ARCHBISHOP  OF  CAMBRAY. 


THE  opportunities  for  displaying  great  deeds  of  good- 
ness are  rare,  and  when  they  do  present  them- 
selves, there  are  many  powerful  stimulas  to  kindle 
magnanimity  and  perseverance.  But  the  little  occa- 
sions to  stand  firm  in  the  cause  of  truth  come  upon  us 
inadvertently  ;  and  almost  every  moment  they  render 
it  necessary  for  us,  without  ceasing,  to  maintain  a  war- 
fare against  pride,  slothfulness,  and  a  domineering, 
lordly  disposition;  against  precipitancy,  impatience,  etc., 
opposing  our  corrupt  wills  everywhere  and  in  all  things. 
If  we  will  be  faithful  herein,  our  fallen  nature  must 
die  to  all  its  propensities. 

Supporting  a  life  of  godliness  is  like  unto  successful 
management  and  economy  in  outward  and  domestic 
affairs.  If  attention  is  not  paid  to  minute  matters, 
frugally  to  save  and  avoid  unnecessary  expenses,  there 
is  a  greater  probability,  step  by  step,  of  a  declension, 
in  point  of  property,  than  by  large  undertakings,  which 
naturally  excite  caution.  He  who  learns,  by  Divine 
assistance,  to  make  a  right  application  in  small  matters 
of  a  spiritual  nature,  will  not  fail  to  accumulate  much 
treasure  as  well  as  he  who  is  attentive  in  temporal 
concerns.    Great  things  are  only  great  because  many 


2 


FAITHFULNESS  IN  LITTLE  THINGS. 


small  materials  are  brought  and  combined  together: 
he  who  is  careful  to  lose  nothing  will  generally  increase 
his  wealth.  It  is  well  for  us  to  consider  that  it  is  not 
so  much  wrhat  we  do  as  the  motives  of  love  in  which 
our  actions  originate,  and  surrendering  our  own  wills ; 
this  it  is  alone  which  renders  our  good  works  accepta- 
ble in  the  Divine  sight.  People  judge  of  our  actions 
according  to  outward  observation,  but  with  God  those 
things  are  nothing  which  in  the  eyes  of  men  shine  with 
great  lustre,  for  He  requires  a  sincere  intention,  a  will 
ready  to  bend  to  his  will  on  all  occasions,  and  an 
upright,  entire  forsaking  ourselves. 

Our  faith  is  tried  more  powerfully  in  common  occur- 
rences, and  less  exposed  to  a  mixture  of  pride,  than  in 
uncommon  and  remarkable  concerns.  We  also  find 
that  we  are  many  times  more  attached  to  certain  little 
things  than  to  matters  of  moment;  for  instance,  some 
would  find  it  much  easier  to  give  generous  alms  than 
to  deny  themselves  a  favorite  diversion.  Man  is  very 
liable  to  become  beguiled  by  little  things,  because  he 
looks  on  them  as  matters  of  indifference,  and  imagines 
himself  free  from  any  powerful  attachment  to  them  ; 
but  when  God  commands  him  to  forsake  them,  he  finds 
by  painful  experience  how  inordinate  and  unwarranta- 
ble his  attachment  to,  and  practice  of  them  was ;  besides, 
through  our  inattention  to  small  duties,  we  frequently 
give  offence,  and  stumble  our  families  and  those  about 
us,  for  people  cannot  believe  that  we  fear  God  with 
uprightness  when  our  conduct  in  small  concerns  is 
immoderate  and  careless;  for  how  can  an  observer 
reconcile  the  idea  of  our  being  strong  and  scrupulous 
observers  of  important  duties,  that  require  the  greatest 
sacrifices,  when  matters  of  small  account  have  an  undue 
ascendency  over  us;  but  the  greatest  danger  herein  is, 
that  the  soul,  through  careless  indifference  in  lesser 
things,  becomes  gradually  accustomed  to  unfaithfulness, 
grieves  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  by  degrees  learns  to  account 
it  a  matter  of  small  consequence  to  go  counter  to  the 


FAITHFULNESS  IN  LITTLE  THINGS. 


3 


will  of  God  :  on  the  contrary,  true  love  esteems  nothing 
indifferent ;  everything  capable  of  pleasing  or  displeas- 
ing God  appearing  great :  not  that  true  love  drives  the 
soul  into  a  slavish,  fearful  scrupulousness,  but  it  allows 
of  no  particular  set  bounds  to  faithfulness ;  it  moves 
the  mind  in  simplicity  to  pass  by  those  things  that 
God  doth  not  require,  but  does  not  hesitate  about  those 
things  he  does  require,  be  they  great  or  small ;  so  that 
our  obedience  in  small  matters  does  not  originate  from 
a  forcible  terror  on  the  mind — it  all  arises  in  and  by 
a  current  and  power  of  love,  free  from  those  slavish 
fears  and  consultations  accompanying  restless,  anxious 
and  distressed  souls.  Man  is  drawn  into  the  way  of 
his  duty  through  love  to  God ;  for  even  in  the  time  of 
greatest  trial,  when  the  spirit  of  truth  unceasingly 
urges  the  submissive  soul  step  by  step  in  the  observance 
of  small  duties,  and  seems  about  to  divest  it  of  all 
freedom,  behold  it  finds  itself  on  a  wide  plain,  and 
enjoys  the  depth  of  peace  and  freedom  in  Him.  Oh  ! 
how  happy  is  that  soul. 

Finally,  it  is  particularly  necessary  for  those  who 
are  naturally  of  an  inadvertent  and  unwatchful  disposi- 
tion to  be  mindful.  Man,  by  paying  little  regard  to 
small  duties,  becomes  accustomed  to  make  no  account 
of  them ;  he  does  not  enough  consider  the  lead  and 
tendency  thereof;  he  does  not  enough  view  the  almost 
imperceptible  ascendency  and  assimilation  of  these 
things  in  and  with  his  fallen  propensities ;  he  forgets 
the  compunction  and  remorse  these  things  have  here- 
tofore occasioned ;  he  had  rather  indulge  an  imaginary 
idea  of  his  establishment,  and  depend  on  his  own  judg- 
ment (which  has,  however,  ofttimes  deceived  him),  than 
to  settle  down  into  a  constant,  diligent,  attentive  watch- 
fulness. We  are  apt  to  say,  It  is  a  little  thing,  it  is 
nothing,  yea,  it  is  nothing !  But  it  is  such  a  nothing 
on  which  thy  all  depends ;  such  a  nothing  as  thou  so 
inordinately  lovest  as  to  cleave  to  it  in  preference  to 
the  will  of  God ;  such  a  nothing  which  thou  wilt  despise 


4 


FAITHFULNESS  IN  LITTLE  THINGS. 


in  words  in  order  to  frame  an  excuse  for  thy  non- 
observance  of  it;  but,  in  the  ground,  it  is  such  a 
nothing  which  thou  boldest  fast,  against  the  will  of 
God,  and  which,  if  continued  in,  will  bring  thee  to 
ruin. 

Despising  small  things  does  not,  as  some  assert, 
arise  from  greatness  of  mind,  but  far  otherwise ;  from 
a  short-sightedness  esteeming  things  small  which,  in 
their  tendency  and  consequences,  have  a  very  extensive 
reach  and  effect.  The  more  we  discover  ourselves 
inclined  to  indifference  in  small  things,  and  the  more 
we  find  it  a  trial  to  us  to  pay  attention  herein,  the 
more  we  ought  to  fear  and  become  jealous,  yea,  and 
to  cast  up  bulwarks  against  a  spirit  of  indifference  and 
carnal  security ;  he  that  despises  little  things  will  cer- 
tainly fall  by  little  and  little.  Be  not  afraid  of  a  con- 
stant watchfulness  of  mind  in  small  things ;  a  godly 
resolution  is  necessary  in  the  beginning,  and  the  exer- 
cise and  suffering  thou  endurest  thou  hast  well  deserved, 
it  being  very  necessary  for  the  perfecting  of  thy  peace 
and  security,  out  of  which  there  is  nothing  but  dis- 
quiet and  backsliding.  God  will  render  this  path  more 
and  more  sweet  and  pleasant.  True  love  is  watchful 
and  attentive  without  great  and  painful  restraint  of 
spirit. 

Augustine  saith, 

"  Quod  minimum  est,  minimum  est,  sed  in  minimo  Jidelem 
esse  magnum  est." 

"  Little  things  are  little  things,  but  to  be  faithful  in 
little  things  is  something  great."  

Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia. 


No.  133. 


STRIKING  INCIDENTS. 


» 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
Xo.  30-4  Arch  Street. 


STRIKING  INCIDENTS. 


General  Harrison  and  the  Sixteen  Fellow-Students. 

It  is  narrated  that  when  General  Harrison  was  running 
for  the  Presidency,  he  stopped  at  the  old  Washington 
House,  in  Chester,  for  dinner.  After  dinner  was  served, 
it  was  noticed  that  the  General  pledged  his  toast  in  water, 
and  one  of  the  party  from  New  York,  in  offering  another, 
said,  "  General,  will  you  not  favor  me  by  drinking  a  glass 
of  wine  ? "  The  General  refused  in  a  very  gentlemanly 
manner.  Again  he  was  urged  to  join  in  a  glass  of  wine. 
This  was  too  much.  He  rose  from  the  table,  his  tall  form 
erect,  and,  in  the  most  significant  manner,  replied,  "  Gen- 
tlemen, I  have  refused  twice  to  partake  of  the  wine-cup. 
That  should  have  been  sufficient.  Though  you  press  the 
cup  to  my  lips,  not  a  drop  shall  pass  the  portals.  I  made 
a  resolve,  when  I  started  in  life,  that  I  would  avoid  strong 
drink,  and  I  have  never  broken  it.  I  am  one  of  a  class 
of  seventeen  young  men  who  graduated,  and  the  other 
sixteen  fill  drunkards'  graves  —  all  through  the  pernicious 
habit  of  wine-drinking.  I  owe  all  my  health,  happiness, 
and  prosperity  to  that  resolution.  Will  you  urge  me 
now  ?  " 


The  Judge's  Three  Sons* 

A  son  of  the  late  Major  B  narrates  that  his  father 

gave  him  the  following  account  of  a  dinner  he  once  took 
with  a  Judge,  a  man  of  uncommon  ability,  and,  at  that 
time,  much  honored  and  esteemed. 

3 


4 


STRIKING  INCIDENTS. 


There  was  a  decanter  of  wine  on  the  table,  and  when 

Major  B  declined  it,  saying,  "  I  am  a  believer  in  the 

total  abstinence  rule,"  the  Judge  replied,  "How  can  a 
man  of  your  sense  and  moderation  adopt  such  an  extreme 
opinion  ?  One  glass  of  wine  a  day  never  hurt  anybody 
yet,  and  never  will ;  "  and  he  drank  his  "  one  glass,"  and 
so  did  each  of  his  three  noble,  promising  sons  who  sat 
with  him  at  the  table.  My  father's  years  were  not  pro- 
longed to  threescore,  but  long  before  he  died,  Judge  

and  his  three  sons  had  gone  down  to  a  drunkard's  grave. 


The  Bishop  Answered. 

A  certain  Bishop,  it  is  said,  was  strongly  opposed  to 
the  principles  of  total  abstinence,  and  had  his  sideboard 
loaded  with  brandy,  wine,  etc.  On  one  occasion  a  min- 
ister, a  decided  temperance  man,  dined  with  the  Bishop, 
who,  pouring  out  a  glass  of  wine,  desired  him  to  drink 
with  him. 

"  Can't  do  it,  Bishop  ;  '  wine  is  a  mocker.'  " 

"  Take  a  glass  of  brandy,  then." 

"  Can't  do  it,  Bishop  ;  1  strong  drink  is  raging.'  " 

By  this  time  the  Bishop,  becoming  somewhat  excited, 
remarked  to  his  guest,  "  You  '11  pass  the  decanter  to  the 
gentleman  next  to  you." 

"  No,  Bishop  ;  I  can't  do  that.  '  Woe  unto  him  that 
£;iveth  his  neighbor  drink,  that  putteth  thy  bottle  to  him.'" 


The  Sailors'  Experience. 

In  the  winter  of  1829,  the  ship  Tuscarora,  Captain 
Serrill,  of  Philadelphia,  on  her  homeward  voyage  from 
Liverpool,  was  caught  in  the  river  Delaware  by  a  heavy 
northeast  snow-storm,  and  obliged  to  put  into  Chester 


STRIKING  INCIDENTS. 


5 


piers  for  safety,  at  which  place  a  considerable  fleet  of 
vessels  had  already  taken  shelter.  As  the  storm  was 
violent  and  the  weather  very  cold,  it  was  a  matter  of  no 
little  difficulty  to  secure  the  vessels  properly.  The  men 
were  long  exposed,  and  suffered  so  severely  that,  of  all 
the  crews  collected  there,  not  one  escaped  without  having 
some  of  the  hands  frost-bitten  except  the  crew  of  the  Tus- 
carora.  This  was  remarkable,  and  naturally  occasioned 
some  inquiry  into  the  cause  of  her  exemption  from  the 
common  lot.  Her  men  had  been  as  much  exposed  as  the 
others ;  they  were  not  better  clothed,  and  had  just  got  in 
from  a  winter's  passage  across  the  stormy  Atlantic,  so 
might  be  supposed  to  be  somewhat  exhausted  from  pre- 
vious fatigue,  and,  therefore,  more  liable  to  suffer  than 
some  of  the  rest.  Yet  there  was  one  individual  on  board 
of  her  who  did  suffer.  He  was  not,  however,  one  of  the 
crew;  had  not  just  returned  from  a  boisterous  voyage, 
with  strength  impaired,  nor  did  his  station  require  him  to 
be  nearly  so  much  exposed  to  the  weather  as  the  sailors 
were,  for  he  was  the  pilot.  It  appeared,  on  inquiry, 
that  the  crew  of  the  Tuscarora  had  refrained  during  the 
homeward  passage  from  the  use  of  ardent  spirits ;  that 
the  crews  of  the  other  vessels  had  not  so  refrained,  and 
that  the  pilot  of  the  Tuscarora  was  a  drinking  man ! 


"I'll  Take  what  Father  Takes." 

"  What  will  you  take  to  drink?  "  asked  a  waiter  of  a 
young  lad  who,  for  the  first  time,  accompanied  his  father 
to  a  public  dinner.  Uncertain  what  to  say,  and  feeling 
sure  that  he  could  not  be  wrong  if  he  followed  his  father's 
example,  he  replied,  "  I  '11  take  what  father  takes." 

The  answer  reached  the  father's  ear,  and  instantly  the 
full  responsibility  of  his  position  flashed  on  him.  And 
1* 


6 


STRIKING  INCIDENTS. 


the  father  shuddered  as  the  history  of  several  young  men, 
once  as  promising  as  his  own  bright  lad,  and  ruined  by 
drink,  started  up  in  sudden  warning  before  him.  Should 
his  hopes  be  blasted,  and  that  open-faced  lad  become  a 
burden  ?  But  for  strong  drink,  they  might  have  been 
active,  earnest,  prosperous  men ;  and  if  it  could  work 
such  ruin  upon  them,  was  his  own  son  safe  ?  These 
thoughts  passed  through  his  mind,  and  in  a  moment  the 
decision  was  made.  "  If  the  boy  falls,  he  will  not  have 
me  to  blame ;  "  and  then,  in  tones  tremulous  with  emo- 
tion, and  to  the  astonishment  'of  those  who  knew  him,  he 
said,  "Waiter,  I  '11  take  water."  And  from  that  day  to 
this,  strong  drink  has  been  banished  from  that  man's  home. 


Drinking  and  Swearing  Twin  Brothers. 

An  aged  man  related  the  following  incident :  "I  was 
once  travelling,"  said  he,  "  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and, 
night  coming  on,  I  put  up  at  a  rum-tavern.  Soon  after, 
several  of  the  neighboring  men  called  in  to  tell  stories  and 
patronize  the  bar.  They  all  seemed  given  to  profaneness ; 
but  one  of  them  excelled  the  others  in  profanity.  Their 
oaths  were  so  horrid,  it  almost  made  my  blood  run  cold. 
It  seemed  like  blasphemy.  I  groaned  in  spirit,  and  after 
one  of  these  terrible  oaths,  I  cried  out,  1  0  dear  I '  The 
chief  swearer  immediately  came  to  me  and  acknowledged 
the  wickedness  of  his  habit,  and  said :  1  Will  you  pardon 
me  ?  '  '  No,'  said  I ;  '  none  but  God  can  pardon  you  ;  but 
if  you  will  swear  no  more,  I  will  overlook  the  past.'  He 
made  a  fair  promise.  After  this  there  was  no  more 
swearing  for  some  time.  Toward  bedtime  these  villagers 
must  have  another  drink.  They  then  commenced  swear- 
ing again.  Again  I  sighed,  '  O  dear ! '  Again  my  pardon 
was  asked.    I  told  them  it  was  rum  that  made  them 


STRIKING  INCIDENTS. 


7 


swear.  We  parted,  never  expecting  to  see  or  hear  from 
each  other  again.  After  two  and  a  half  years,  I  had  oc- 
casion to  pass  that  way  again,  and  stopped  to  bait  my 
horse  at  the  same  tavern.  The  landlord  was  not  in  ;  but 
his  wife  eyed  me  closely,  and  said :  '  Did  you  not  spend  a 
night  here  two  or  three  years  ago  ?  '  '  Yes.'  1  Well,  that 
man  and  all  his  companions  were  led  by  that  reproof  to 
give  up  swearing  and  drinking,  and,  what  is  better  still, 
they  all  became  Christians.  So  have  I  and  my  husband. 
And  we  find  now  that  we  can  keep  tavern  without  selling 
rum.'  " 


A  Physician's  Story. 

Dr.  Munro,  of  Hull,  gives  this  incident  in  his  life  as  a 
practising  physician.  It  is  a  story  with  an  unmistakable 
moral. 

A  hard-working,  industrious,  God-fearing  man,  a  teeto- 
taler of  some  years'  standing,  suffering  from  an  abscess  in 
the  hand,  which  had  reduced  him  very  much,  applied  to 
me  for  advice.  I  told  him  the  only  medicine  he  needed 
was  rest ;  and  to  remedy  the  waste  going  on  in  his  sys- 
tem, and  to  repair  the  damage  done  to  his  hand,  he  was  to 
support  himself  with  a  bottle  of  stout  daily.    He  replied : 

"  I  cannot  take  it,  for  I  have  been  a  teetotaler  for  some 
years." 

"Well,"  I  said,  "if  you  know  better  than  the  doctor, 
it  is  no  use  applying  to  me." 

He  looked  anxiously  in  my  face,  evidently  weighing 
the  matter  over  in  his  mind,  and  sorrowfully  replied : 

"  Doctor,  I  was  a  drunken  man  once,  and  should  not 
like  to  be  one  again." 

He  was.  much  against  his  will,  prevailed  upon  to  take 
the  stout,  and  in  time  he  recovered  from  his  sickness. 
When  he  got  well,  I,  of  course,  praised  up  the  virtues  of 


8 


STRIKING  INCIDENTS. 


stout  as  a  means  of  saving  his  life,  for  which  he  ought 
ever  to  be  thankful.  I  rather  lectured  him  on  being  such 
a  fanatic  (that 's  the  word)  as  to  refuse  taking  a  bottle  of 
stout  daily  to  restore  "him  to  his  former  health. 

I  lost  sight  of  my  former  patient  for  some  months ;  but 
I  am  sorry  to  say  that  on  one  fine  summer's  day,  when 
driving  through  one  of  the  public  thoroughfares,  I  saw  a 
poor,  miserable,  ragged-looking  man  leaning  against  the 
door  of  a  public  house,  drunk,  and  incapable  of  keeping 
an  erect  position.  Even  in  his  poverty,  drunkenness,  and 
misery,  I  discovered  it  was  my  teetotal  patient  whom  I 
had  not  so  long  ago  persuaded  to  break  his  pledge.  I 
could  not  be  mistaken.  I  had  reason  to  know  him  well, 
for  he  had  been  a  member  of  a  Wesleyan  Church,  an  inde- 
fatigable Sunday-school  teacher,  a  prayer  leader,  whose 
earnest  appeals  for  the  salvation  of  others  I  had  often 
listened  to  with  pleasure  and  edification.  I  immediately 
went  to  the  man,  and  was  astonished  to  find  the  change 
which  strong  drink,  in  so  short  a  time,  had  made  in  his 
appearance.  With  manifest  surprise,  and  looking  ear- 
nestly at  the  poor  wretch,  I  said  : 

"  S.,  is  that  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it 's  me.  Look  at  me  again ;  don't  you  know 
me  ?  "  he  answered,  with  a  staggering  reel  and  clipping 
his  words. 

"Yes,  I  know  you,"  1  said,  "and  I  am  grieved  to  see 
you  in  this  drunken  condition.  I  thought  you  were  a 
teetotaler  ?  " 

"I  was,  before  I  took  your  medicine,"  he  answered, 
with  a  peculiar  grin  upon  his  countenance. 

"I  am  sorry  to  see  you  disgracing  yourself  by  such 
conduct.    I  am  ashamed  of  you." 

Rousing  himself,  as  drunken  people  will  at  times,  to 
extraordinary  effort,  he  scoffingly  replied : 

"  Did  n't  you  send  me  here  for  my  medicine  ?  " 


STRIKING  INCIDENTS. 


9 


And  with  a  delirious  kind  of  chuckle  he  hiccoughed  out 
words  I  shall  never  forget : 

"Doctor,  your  medicine  cured  my  body,  but  it  was  the 
ruin  of  my  soul !  " 

Two  or  three  of  his  companions,  hearing  our  conversa- 
tion, took  him  under  their  protection,  and  I  left.  As  I 
drove  away,  my  heart  was  full  of  bitter  reflections,  that  I 
had  been  the  cause  of  ruining  this  man's  prospects,  not 
only  for  this  world,  but  for  that  which  is  to  come.  You 
may  rest  assured  I  did  not  sleep  much  that  night.  The 
drunken  aspect  of  that  man  haunted  me,  and  I  found 
myself  weeping  over  the  injury  I  had  done  him.  I  rose 
up  early  the  next  morning  and  returned  to  his  cottage, 
with  his  little  garden  in  front,  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
town,  where  I  had  often  seen  him  with  his  wife  and 
happy  children  playing  about,  but  found,  to  my  sorrow, 
that  he  had  moved  some  time  before.  At  last,  with  some 
difficulty,  I  found  him  located  in  a  low  neighborhood,  not 
far  distant  from  the  public  house  he  had  patronized  the 
day  before.  Here,  in  such  a  home  as  none  but  a  drunkard 
could  inhabit,  I  found  him  laid  upon  a  bed  of  straw,  fever- 
ish and  prostrate  from  the  effects  of  the  previous  day's 
debauch,  abusing  his  wife  because  she  could  not  get  him 
some  more  drink ;  she  standing  aloof,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  broken  down  with  care  and  grief,  her  children  dirty 
and  clothed  in  rags — all  friendless  and  steeped  in  poverty  ! 

What  a  wreck  was  there  ! 

Turned  out  of  the  Church  of  which  he  was  once  an  or  - 
nament, his  religion  sacrificed,  his  usefulness  marred,  his 
hopes  of  eternity  blasted,  now  a  poor,  dejected  slave  to 
his  passion  for  drink,  without  mercy  and  without  hope  ! 

I  talked  to  him  kindly,  reasoned  with  him,  succored 
him  until  he  was  well,  and  never  lost  sight  of  him  or  let 
him  have  any  peace  until  he  had  signed  the  pledge  again. 

It  took  some  time  to  recover  his  place  in  the  Church, 


10 


STRIKING  INCIDENTS. 


but  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him  restored.  He 
is  now,  more  than  ever,  a  devoted  worker  in  the  Church, 
and  the  cause  of  temperance  is  pleaded  on  all  occasions. 
Can  you  wonder,  then,  that  I  never  order  strong  drink 
for  a  patient  now  ? 


The  Answer  of  the  Wife  of  the  Liquor-Dealer. 

The  following  incident,  in  substance,  is  related  of  a 
wholesale  liquor-dealer,  whose  business  was  large  and 
yielded  him  a  considerable  income.  His  wife  was  uneasy 
with  his  following  an  occupation  so  promotive  of  sin  and 
miser}^  among  his  fellow-men,  and  was  one  day  pleading 
with  him  to  abandon  it,  when  he  replied:  "You  are  not 
aware  of  the  profits  I  derive  from  my  business.  I  receive 
an  income  of  four  thousand  dollars  a  year !  Too  great  a 
sum  to  be  rejected."  His  wife  replied  :  "  The  devil  knew 
that  you  would  not  be  satisfied  with  a  paltry  amount ;  he 
therefore  laid  a  bait  suited  to  your  desires.  And  will  you 
sell  your  immortal  soul  for  four  thousand  dollars  per 
year  ?  "  Her  answer  drove  the  arrow  of  conviction  to 
his  heart,  and  he  resolved  to  give  up  the  iniquitous  traffic. 


Woman's  Influence. 

A  young  man  called,  in  company  with  several  others, 
upon  a  young  woman.  Her  father  was  also  present,  to 
assist  in  entertaining  the  callers.  He  did  not  share  his 
daughter's  scruples  against  the  use  of  spirituous  drinks, 
for  he  had  wine  to  offer.  The  wine  was  poured  out  and 
would  have  been  drunk,  but  the  young  woman  asked 
whether  they  called  upon  her  or  her  father.  Gallantry,  if 
nothing  else,  compelled  them  to  answer,  "  We  called  upon 
you."    "Then  you  will  please  not  drink  wine;  I  have 


STRIKING  INCIDENTS. 


11 


lemonade  for  my  callers."  The  father  urged  the  guests 
to  drink,  and  they  were  undecided.  The  young  woman 
added:  "Remember,  if  you  call  upon  me  then  you  drink 
lemonade,  but  if  upon  him,  why,  in  that  case,  I  have 
nothing  to  say."  The  wine-glasses  were  set  down  with 
their  contents  untasted. 

After  leaving  the  house  one  of  the  party  exclaimed, 
M  That  is  the  most  effectual  temperance  lecture  I  have 
ever  heard."  Indeed,  it  was  sown  in  good  ground.  It 
took  root,  sprang  up,  and  bore  fruit.  The  young  man 
from  whom  these  facts  were  obtained  broke  off  at  once 
from  the  use  of  all  strong  drink,  and  holds  in  grateful 
remembrance  the  woman  who  gracefully,  and  still  reso- 
lutely, gave  him  to  understand  that  her  callers  should  not 
drink  wine. 


Concluding  Remarks. 

Great  sins  are  generally  attended  by  other  sins ;  and  in 
the  present  day  many  of  the  public  houses  of  city  and 
country  display  at  their  doors  conspicuous  signs  to  indicate 
that  the  sin  of  gaming  may  be  practised  within  as  well  as 
that  of  drinking.  At  these  places  facilities  for  dominoes, 
quoits,  cards,  or  other  games  of  skill  and  chance,  are  pre- 
sented to  the  patrons  of  the  place,  in  order  that  the  winner 
may  be  provided  with  liquor  for  himself  and  friends  at  the 
cost  of  the  loser. 

By  this  means  the  excitement  of  the  games  tends  to  in- 
crease the  number  of  drinks  to  be  called  for,  which  lead 
the  unwary  to  excessive  drinking,  and  to  acquire  a  taste 
for  the  debasing  practices  of  the  gaming-table. 

The  faithful  followers  of  the  precepts  and  example  of 
the  Saviour  of  men  can  but  mourn  as  they  see  the  many 
temptations  which  are  so  freely  presented  to  draw  their 


12 


STRIKING  INCIDENTS. 


fellow-beings  within  the  snares  and  dangers  of  the  practice 
of  using  strong  clrink. 

May  all  who  read  the  foregoing  striking  and  instructive 
incidents  pause  and  consider  whether  they  are  in  any  way 
subjecting  themselves  or  others  to  the  temptations  of  the 
use  of  strong  drink,  and  if  they  find  they  have  given  way 
in  this  respect,  or  been  unfaithful  towards  others,  may  they 
heed  the  Divine  Monitor  within  them — the  spirit  of  their 
Redeemer — which  reproves  for  error  and  leads  from  temp- 
tation, that  thus  they  may  turn  from  their  evil  and  down- 
ward course,  with  all  its  terrible  consequences,  while  the 
opportunity  is  remaining  for  them.  And  to  those  who 
have  been  preserved  from  this  and  similar  evils  may  the 
word  of  encouragement  be  extended  to  continue  faithful 
in  their  endeavors  to  prevent  the  spread  of  intemperance, 
watching  scrupulously  over  themselves  and  families,  and 
warning,  as  occasion  arises,  all  who  may  be  in  danger  — 
thus  each,  in  their  day  and  generation,  endeavoring  to  ac- 
complish whatever  lies  in  their  power  towards  extermina- 
ting this  fearful  curse  from  our  land. 


No.  134. 

ON 

Fiction  Beading. 


fTlHE  attention  of  many  thoughtful  persons  has  been 
turned  to  the  serious  consideration  of  the  injurious 
effects  of  fictitious  reading  on  the  people  of  our  country, 
particularly  the  youth.  In  our  cities,  advertisements  of 
sensational  stories  are  placed  under  the  front  doors,  or  dis- 
played in  large  letters  on  the  numerous  news-stands  in  the 
streets.  Many  of  the  papers  sold  at  these  stands  are  illus- 
trated with  pictures,  often  of  a  very  objectionable  character. 
On  many  of  our  railroad  cars,  novels  and  papers  containing 
exciting  tales  are  offered  for  sale  to  the  passengers.  Our 
public  libraries  generally  have  their  shelves  largely  supplied 
with  works  of  fiction.  In  the  Boston  Library  it  is  stated 
that  one-third  of  all  the  books  purchased  are  novels  or  story- 
books, and  that  between  three-fourths  and  four-fifths  of  the 
Library's  circulation  are  confined  to  this  class.  So  great 
is  the  demand  that,  on  an  average,  ten  copies  of  each  novel 
are  procured.  Most  other  popular  libraries  will  doubtless 
show  a  similar  prevalence  of  this  perverted  taste 

X 


2 


ON  FICTION  READING-. 


The  Mental  Effects  of  Novel  Reading. 

In  the  first  place,  they  almost  invariably  give  incorrect 
ideas  of  life.  Frequently  they  tell  of  impossible  actions, 
represent  vicious  deeds  as  noble,  and  portray  vice  in  brill- 
iant colors.  They  speak  of  virtue  as  cowardice,  are  apt 
to  ridicule  religion  and  religious  people,  and  make  the  good 
appear  as  hypocrites,  and  misrepresent  the  true  relations 
between  parents  and  children.  Their  tendency  often  is 
to  familiarize  the  reader  with  wickedness,  either  in  its 
more  gilded  or  hideous  forms.  They  almost  universally 
give  a  distaste  for  study  and  induce  a  habit  of  superficial- 
ity, while  in  many  cases  they  are  undoubtedly  a  cause  of 
nervousness  to  children,  and  directly  tend  to  weaken  the 
mind. 

A  serious  effect  of  novel  reading  is  to  dissipate  those 
religious  convictions  with  which  we  are  all  at  times  favored, 
and  for  which  we  must  all  give  an  account.  It  is  almost 
certain  to  give  a  distaste  for  the  Bible  and  other  religious 
reading,  and  to  self-examination,  serious  thoughtfulness, 
and  prayer. 

A  striking  argument  against  novel  reading  is  to  be  found 
in  a  report  of  the  intelligent  physician  of  the  Mount  Hope 
Institution  for  the  Insane  in  Boston.    He  says: 

"Another  fertile  source  of  derangement  has  appeared  to 
be  indulgence  in  the  perusal  of  the  numerous  works  of  fiction 
with  which  the  press  is  so  prolific,  and  which  are  sown  broad- 
cast over  the  land,  with  the  effect  of  vitiating  the  taste  and 
corrupting  the  morals  of  the  young.   Parents  cannot  too  cau- 


ON  FICTION  READING. 


3 


tiously  guard  their  young  daughters  against  this  perni- 
cious practice.  We  have  had  several  cases  of  moral  insan- 
ity, for  which  no  other  cause  could  be  assigned  than  exces- 
sive novel  reading.  And  nothing  is  more  likely  to  induce 
this  disease  than  the  education  which  fosters  sentiment, 
instead  of  cherishing  real  feelings;  which  awakens  and 
strengthens  the  imagination  without  warming  the  heart, 
and  places  the  individual  upon  a  romantic  theatre — not 
upon  the  dust  of  mortal  life.  Such  are  some  of  the  ten- 
dencies and  results  of  novel  reading." 

Another  physician  in  Massachusetts  says:  "I  have  seen 
a  young  girl,  whose  table  was  loaded  with  volumes  of  ficti- 
tious trash,  poring  away  day  after  day  and  night  after  night 
over  highly-wrought  scenes  and  skilfully-portrayed  pictures 
of  romance  until  her  cheeks  grew  pale,  her  eyes  became  cold 
and  restless,  and  her  mind  wandered  and  was  lost.  The 
light  of  intelligence  passed  behind  a  cloud,  her  reason 
hopelessly  benighted.  She  became  insane — incurably  in 
sane — from  reading  novels." 


Criminal  Effects  of  Novel  Reading'. 

It  was  recently  stated  that  a  young  woman  of  seventeen 
years  attempted  suicide  by  drowning,  and  that  her  mother 
attributed  the  crime  to  the  reading  of  sensational  stories. 
It  is  further  believed  that  many  of  the  suicides,  now  so 
numerous,  many  of  the  divorces  so  shamefully  common,  as 
well  as  much  of  the  domestic  disquietude  prevailing,  are 
more  or  less  owing  to  indulgence  in  fictitious  reading.  For 


4 


ON   FICTION  READING. 


what  is  more  calculated  to  blunt  the  sensibilities,  to  excite 
the  passions  and  bewilder  and  mislead  the  affections,  so 
that  the  whole  character  is  in  danger  of  being  corrupted 
and  becoming  an  easy  prey  to  the  temptations  of  an  insid- 
ious enemy,  who  is  ever  watching  to  betray  and  to  destroy  ? 
In  an  interview  with  the  boy  Pomeroy,  who  was  a  mur- 
derer, he  confessed  that  he  had  read  many  novels  of  a  char- 
acter treating  of  deeds  of  violence,  and  he  had  no  doubt  the 
reading  of  these  books  had  much  to  do  with  his  course  of 
wickedness. 

A  writer  thus  recites  a  case  which  came  under  his  obser- 
vation :  "  It  was  that  of  a  young  man  who  for  three  years 
was  my  room-mate  at  college.  His  powers  of  mind  were 
of  a  high  order.  He  was  one  of  the  best  writers  of  the 
largest  class  that  had  ever  entered  that  university.  After 
a  time  he  became  editor  of  an  important  religious  period- 
ical, which  he  sustained  with  great  acceptance.  At  length, 
after  years  of  labor,  suspicion  was  excited  as  to  his  moral 
character.  On  investigation,  disclosures  were  made  which 
proved  him  to  be  a  ruined  man.  A  political  paper  of  New 
York  city  stated  the  fact  of  his  fall,  and  imputed  it  to 
his  evangelical  sentiments.  He  saw  that  imputation,  and 
replied  to  it  in  a  most  touching  manner.  He  admitted 
the  fact  of  his  ruin  in  tones  of  deep  anguish.  He  then  con- 
fessed the  true  cause :  it  was  the  reading  of  novels.  There 
began  his  downward  career ;  there  were  first  cherished  his 
unhallowed  impressions.  I  knew  his  habits  in  college. 
He  was  then  excessively  fond  of  reading  the  works  of 
Byron,  Scott,  and  others  of  a  similar  character.    Those  he 


ON   FICTION  READING. 


5 


read  at  first,  he  said,  to  improve  his  style  of  writing.  He 
soon  acquired  a  love  for  such  reading,  and  was  at  length 
entirely  overcome  and  ruined  by  it." 

An  instance  in  which  the  thirst  for  fiction  led  to  stealing 
is  thus  narrated : 

A  young  man  of  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  a  steady, 
diligent,  quiet  mechanic,  who  was  exempt  from  the  ordi- 
nary vices  of  city  life,  a  lover  of  home,  and  one  who  spent 
his  evenings  in  his  father's  house,  was  arrested  and  brought 
before  the  police  court  for  stealing.  The  charge  was  made 
by  a  newsdealer,  who  had  watched  him  while  he  was  look- 
ing over  the  various  papers  upon  his  stand,  and  had  detected 
him  in  the  act  of  appropriating  sundry  copies  of  the  same. 

The  father  of  the  young  man  was  sent  for,  and  was  aston- 
ished at  the  revelation.  His  son  a  thief!  And  what  had 
he  stolen  ?  Story  papers  !  Periodicals  full  of  the  fascina- 
tions of  fiction. 

He  had  for  a  long  time  been  purchasing  this  poisonous 
literature,  and  had  paid  out  some  twenty-five  dollars  for 
such  trash,  which  he  had  read  at  home  in  the  evenings ; 
and  now,  when  he  saw  these  papers,  the  temptation  was 
so  strong  that  he  was  led  to  steal  some  twenty  papers  to 
gratify  this  morbid  appetite. 

His  father  became  responsible  for  the  damages,  and  took 
his  boy  home,  and  he  soon  confessed  his  fault ;  the  father 
acknowledged  that  he  also  was  at  fault  in  allowing  his  son 
to  occupy  his  evenings  in  reading  such  literature.  The 
boy  brought  forth  his  store  of  fictitious  trash,  and  it  was 
destroyed. 


6 


ON   FICTION  READING. 


Opinion  of  a  Novel  Writer. 

Oliver  Goldsmith,  in  addressing  his  brother  respecting 
the  education  of  his  son,  uses  this  strong  language:  "Above 
all  things  never  let  your  son  touch  a  novel  or  romance. 
How  delusive,  how  destructive  are  those  pictures  of  con- 
summate bliss!  They  teach  the  youthful  mind  to  sigh 
after  beauty  and  happiness  that  never  existed ;  to  despise 
the  little  good  that  our  cup  contains,  by  expecting  more 
than  is  given ;  and  in  general — take  the  word  of  a  man 
who  has  seen  the  world  and  studied  it  more  by  experience 
than  by  precept — I  say  that  such  books  teach  us  very  little 
of  the  world." 

Testimony  of  Reformed  Novel  Readers. 

Nicholas  Ferrar,  a  very  learned  and  pious  man,  who 
lived  early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  on  the  third  day 
before  his  death,  summoned  all  his  family  around  him,  and 
then  desired  his  brother  to  go  and  mark  out  a  place  for  his 
grave,  according  to  the  particular  directions  he  then  gave. 
When  his  brother  returned,  saying  it  was  done  as  he  had 
wished,  he  desired  them  all,  in  presence  of  each  other,  to 
take  out  of  his  study  three  large  hampers  full  of  books, 
which  had  been  locked  up  for  many  years.  "  They  are 
comedies,  tragedies,  heroic  poems,  and  romances  ;  let  them 
be  immediately  burnt  upon  the  place  marked  out  for  my 
grave,  and  when  you  have  so  done,  come  back  and  inform 
me."  When  information  was  brought  him  that  they  were 
all  consumed,  he  desired  that  this  might  be  considered  as 


ON   FICTION  READING. 


7 


the  testimony  of  his  disapprobation  of  such  books,  as  tend- 
ing to  corrupt  the  mind  of  man,  and  were  improper  for  the 
perusal  of  every  serious  and  sincere  Christian. 

A  woman  of  eminent  piety,  in  reviewing  the  mistakes 
committed  in  early  life,  writes :  "  Deeply  have  I  lamented 
that  any  of  my  precious  time  should  have  been  spent  in 
perusing  publications  of  an  unprofitable  tendency,  such  as 
plays  and  romances ;  and  I  have  been  made  sensible  that 
nothing  I  have  ever  been  in  the  practice  of  has  so  much 
alienated  my  mind  from  the  love  and  fear  of  God  as  books 
of  this  kind,  and  how  often  I  have  wished  I  could  warn 
the  whole  world  of  their  pernicious  effects." 

A  young  woman  who  had  indulged  for  some  time  in 
this  pernicious  habit,  on  becoming  religiously  impressed, 
found  to  her  sorrow  that  her  imagination  had  become  so 
fascinated,  and  her  taste  so  vitiated  by  the  indulgence,  that 
she  could  not  fix  on  anything  permanently.  "  I  would  make 
any  earthly  sacrifice,"  said  she,  "could  I  thirst  after  the 
Bible  as  I  have  after  novels.  The  greatest  daily  cross  I 
am  now  compelled  to  take  up  is  to  pass  a  novel  without 
reading  it.  I  would  urge  it,  as  a  warning  to  all  my  sex, 
to  beware  of  this  fatal  rock.  Beware  of  wasting  not  only 
days,  but  nights,  in  making  yourselves  regretful  all  the  rest 
of  your  life,  if  not  absolutely  wretched." 

Opinion  of  Other  Persons. 

Dr.  Haus  says :  "  No  habitual  reader  of  novels  can  love 
the  Bible  or  any  other  book  that  demands  thought  or  incul- 
cates the  serious  duties  of  life." 


8 


ON  FICTION  READING. 


Dr.  Way  land  says:  "He  who  meditates  with  pleasure 
upon  pictures  of  pollution  and  crime,  whether  originating 
with  himself  or  with  others,  renders  it  evident  that  nothing 
but  opposing  circumstances  prevents  him  from  being  him- 
self an  actor  in  the  crimes  which  he  loves.  Let  the  imagi- 
nation, then,  be  most  carefully  guarded,  if  we  wish  to 
escape  temptation  or  make  progress  in  virtue." 

Hannah  More  says :  "  The  constant  familiarity  with 
works  of  fiction,  even  with  such  as  are  not  exceptionable 
in  themselves,  relaxes  the  mind,  that  wants  hardening ;  dis- 
solves the  heart,  that  wants  fortifying;  stirs  the  imagination, 
which  wants  quieting;  irritates  the  passions,  which  want 
calming;  and,  above  all,  disinclines  and  disqualifies  for 
active  virtues  and  for  spiritual  exercises.  The  habitual 
indulgence  in  such  reading  is  a  silent,  mining  mischief." 

Charles  Skelton,  of  Trenton,  who  endowed  a  library,  from 
which  he  directed  all  mere  tales  and  works  of  fiction  should 
be  excluded,  says:  "  Truth  is  always  preferable  to  falsehood. 
Life  is  too  earnest  and  time  too  precious  to  be  wasted  on 
fictions  that  give  no  knowledge.  A  single  great,  practical 
truth  is  of  more  value  than  all  the  fictions  ever  invented 
by  novelists." 

Published  by  tbe  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  304  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia. 


No.  135. 


DEMORALIZING 
LITERATURE  AND  ART, 

BEING 

EXTRACTS  FROM  AN  ADDRESS 

BY 

THE  RELIGIOUS  SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS 

OP  PHILADELPHIA,  1882. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY 

THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS. 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 
1882. 


DEMORALIZING  LITERATURE  AND  ART. 


THE  advance  of  modern  society  in  general  intelligence, 
as  well  as  in  the  arts  and  comforts  of  civilized  life, 
has  been  steady  and  rapid.  The  progress  of  the  United 
States  in  these  directions  has  been  largely  owing  to  the 
liberal  spirit  which  pervades  its  institutions,  and  their 
wholesome  influence,  and  the  possession  of  almost  unlimited 
natural  resources,  have  combined,  under  the  blessing  of  the 
Most  High,  to  give  to  our  beloved  country  a  rapidity  of 
growth  in  material  wealth  and  general  prosperity  unex- 
ampled in  the  world's  history. 

With  the  general  increase  in  wealth  there  has  been 
brought  within  reach  of  the  great  bulk  of  our  people,  not 
only  the  comforts,  but  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life ;  follow- 
ing these  there  has  been  an  indulgence  in  tastes  often  of  a 
character  more  or  less  injurious,  and  a  love  of  display  has 
been  developed  which  leads  to  extravagance  in  modes  of 
living.  In  order  to  support  a  style  which  is  beyond  their 
circumstances,  men  are  thus  often  driven  to  an  unwarrant- 
able extension  of  their  business,  which  results  in  pecuniary 
embarrassment,  distress  to  their  families,  and  a  loss  of  moral 
rectitude. 

But  besides  these  causes  and  consequences  of  demoral- 
ization, which  all  thoughtful  men  observe  and  deplore, 
there  are  some  others  which,  though  hidden  in  their  nature, 
may  well  awaken  in  the  true  lover  of  his  country  deep 


4  DEMORALIZING    LITERATURE    AND  ART. 

anxiety  lest,  if  they  go  unchecked,  the  result  will  in  tb$ 
end  prove  disastrous  to  its  true  interests  and  highest  happi- 
ness. 

With  the  cultivation  of  what  are  known  as  the  "  Fine 
Arts,"  and  through  the  opportunities  which  wealth  affords, 
there  have  been  introduced  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic 
many  works  of  the  acknowledged  masters  in  painting  and 
sculpture,  which  are  commended  as  models  of  art,  and  have 
thus  been  accepted  as  a  standard  to  be  followed.  Some  of 
these,  which  are  in  keeping  with  modes  of  life  and  a  code 
of  morals  utterly  at  variance  with  the  pure  teachings  of 
the  gospel,  are  tolerated  and  admired  in  cultivated  society, 
forgetting  that  no  cover  of  artistic  excellence  or  stamp  of 
classical  reputation  counts  for  anything  in  the  Divine  sight 
as  an  excuse  for  that  which  prompts  unholy  thoughts ;  and 
that,  though  "  to  the  pure  all  things  are  pure,"  no  one  will 
be  justified  in  "  putting  an  occasion  to  fall  in  his  brother's 
way." 

The  tendency  of  the  present  day  in  this  direction  is  to  be 
seen  in  the  character  of  many  of  the  paintings  and  engrav- 
ings exhibited  in  art  galleries  or  the  windows  of  print 
stores;  in  the  pieces  of  statuary  introduced  into  public 
grounds,  or  in  the  ornamentation  of  public  buildings, 
wherein  undraped  figures  occupy  conspicuous  places.  Has 
there  not  also  been  a  growing  relaxation  of  those  rules  of 
propriety  which  were  once  sufficient  to  exclude  such  repre- 
sentations from  private  houses ;  and  do  we  not  now  find  in 
the  homes  of  the  wealthy,  and  even  those  of  professing 
Christians,  specimens  both  of  painting  and  sculpture  whose 
tendency  cannot  be  in  the  direction  of  a  high  order  of  purity 
or  virtue  ? 

Emboldened  by  this  laxity  of  public  sentiment,  the 
theatre,  the  opera,  and  the  circus,  too  ready  to  pander  to 
the  lower  appetites  of  the  community,  have  of  late  thrown 
off  much  of  the  restraint  which  at  one  time  they  assumed, 
and  we  now  not  unfrequently  see  displayed  on  their  pla- 


DEMORALIZING   LITERATURE    AND  ART. 


0 


cards  large  pictures  of  their  performances  that  may  well 
shock  the  finer  feelings  of  those  who  pass  them.  It  is  there- 
fore to  be  greatly  feared  that  frequent  familiarity  with  pro- 
ductions such  as  these  is  unconsciously  lowering  that  high 
standard  of  moral  purity  which  it  is  of  the  first  importance 
should  be  maintained  in  a  Christian  community. 

More  hurtful  still  in  its  effects  than  these  injurious  in- 
fluences is  that  of  much  of  the  literature  which  is  now  being 
circulated  broadcast  through  the  land.  Highly  wrought 
tales  of  adventure,  romance,  or  crime,  profusely  illustrated, 
which  are  demoralizing  in  their  general  tone,  or  cater  to  the 
sensual  propensities  of  our  nature,  are,  through  the  wonder- 
ful powers  of  the  printing-press,  furnished  at  prices  so  low 
as  to  bring  them  within  easy  reach  of  young  minds.  Many 
of  the  novels  of  this  day  are  histories  of  the  indulgence  of 
unholy  passions  and  disregard  of  the  sanctity  of  marriage, 
so  seductively  presented  as  to  make  a  pure  life,  crowned 
with  the  blessings  of  the  family  relation,  appear  tame  and 
uninteresting.  To  a  population  in  which  few  are  unable 
to  read,  the  injurious  consequences  resulting  from  impres- 
sions thus  received  can  scarcely  be  estimated.  It  is  not 
too  much  to  assume  that  to  this  source  may  be  largely  at- 
tributed the  rapid  spreading  of  sentiments  subversive  of 
gospel  truth,  sound  morals,  and  right  views  of  civil  govern- 
ment, as  well  as  the  fearful  increase  of  crime  in  its  varied 
phases. 

At  the  news-stands,  where  are  displayed  this  worse  than 
trashy  literature,  we  may  see  groups  of  boys  and  girls 
gathered  to  feast  their  eyes  upon  the  graphic  illustrations 
of  the  thrilling  story,  which  a  few  cents  will  enable  them 
to  buy.  Upon  the  railroad-train  how  frequent  are  the  calls 
of  the  book- vendor  in  efforts  to  dispose  of  his  armful  of 
more  or  less  expensive  works,  while  in  many  cases  it  needs 
but  a  glance  to  satisfy  the  traveller  that  the  contents  of 
many  of  them  are  such  as  can  only  corrupt  the  heart  and 
rill  the  mind  with  pictures  which  may  leave  lasting  impres- 


G  DEMORALIZING   LITERATURE   AK'J  ART, 

sions  for  evil.  Where  a  taste  for  such  reading  has  been 
indulged,  can  we  be  surprised  to  learn  that  the  downward 
progress  of  very  many  of  the  inmates  of  our  jails  and  re- 
formatories is  traced  by  themselves  to  the  seeds  of  vice  thus 
early  sown  ? 

Rising  in  the  social  scale,  we  find  on  the  counters  of  most 
bookstores,  and  in  the  bookcases  of  many  professors  of 
religion,  the  complete  works  of  poets  who  have,  in  some 
of  their  writings,  abandoned  their  exalted  gifts  to  minister- 
ing to  the  lowest  and  most  excitable  passions  of  our  weak 
human  nature,  in  the  most  seductive  language.  The  impure 
thoughts  and  images  infused  into  the  moral  being  by  this 
unhallowed  poetry,  like  certain  poisons  taken  into  the  blood, 
may  remain  there  for  life,  to  be  only  rendered  inert  by  con- 
tinual resort  to  Divine  grace.  How  can  any  doubt  that  He 
who  "  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  iniquity,"  will  "  sweep 
away  as  the  refuge  of  lies  "  the  plea  of  an  accepted  classical 
standing  as  a  sanction  for  immorality ;  and  that  He  will 
hold  to  an  awful  accountability  the  possession  of  exalted 
powers  of  mind  and  feeling,  deliberately  employed  in 
estranging  from  Him  those  for  whom  Christ  died ;  and  that 
He  will  not  hold  them  clear  who  further  their  work  by 
tolerating  and  excusing  it. 

By  the  indulgence  of  a  passive  and  unregulated  imagi- 
nation requiring  no  mental  effort,  the  taste  for  truly  profit- 
able books  is  destroyed,  while  a  dreamy  habit  of  thought  is 
begotten  which  unfits  for  grappling  bravely  with  the  duties 
and  practical  business  of  life.  Those  who  give  themselves 
up  to  this  desultory  occupation  of  their  thoughts  are  the 
more  ready  to  satisfy  their  desires  for  mental  entertainment 
with  theatrical  performances,  and  thus  subject  themselves 
to  their  corrupting  associations.  Upon  the  female  mind 
especially  does  the  habit  of  novel  reading  lead  to  most  in- 
jurious results,  and  to  this  source  may  be  fairly  traced  a 
large  proportion  of  the  domestic  wretchedness  which  now 
abounds.    It  is  to  the  evils  growing  out  of  these  and  kin- 


DEMORALIZING    LITERATURE    AX3    ART.  / 

dred  abuses  of  the  printing-press  that  we  feel  the  com- 
munity needs  to  be  thoroughly  aroused,  lest  the  best  life 
and  energies  of  the  nation  become  poisoned  at  their  very 
source. 

We  firmly  believe  that  the  corrective  for  this,  and  every 
other  injurious  tendency  which  threatens  die  highest  inter- 
ests of  our  beloved  country,  is  to  be  found  hi  a  fuller  and 
more  practical  acceptance  of  the  teachings  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  _  While  the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament  deal 
with  human  nature  in  all  its  weakness  and  deformity,  they 
also  set  forth  the  capacities  of  man  for  bringing  glory  to  his 
Maker,  both  here  and  hereafter. 

They  teach  that  as  men  receive  Christ  and  his  precepts 
into  their  hearts,  their  desires,  their  wilk,  and  the  whole 
bent  of  their  lives  will  be  changed,  and  through  the  sancti- 
fying influence  of  his  own  Holy  Spirit,  they  do  indeed  be- 
come "  new  creatures  in  Christ  Jesus."  All  being  thus 
subordinated  to  the  will  of  God,  they  are  assured  that  power 
from  on  high  will  be  given  over  every  sinful  propensity ; 
and  all  that  is  out  of  harmony  with  their  highest  happiness 
will  be  made  manifest  by  the  light  of  Christ  "  which  iight- 
eth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world."  The  life  into 
which  our  blessed  Redeemer  calls  his  followers  is  marked 
by  a  degree  of  watchfulness  and  self-denial,  a  singleness  of 
purpose,  a  purity  of  conduct  and  even  thought,  which  be- 
speak the  Divine  authority  of  Him  who  still  "  teacheth  as 
never  man  taught."  This  is  the  religion  which  is  meant  to 
restore,  lift  up,  and  bless  our  fallen  race. 

In  our  intercourse,  therefore,  with  those  around  us,  we 
need  especially  to  illustrate  by  our  own  consistent  example 
the  precepts  of  the  gospel,  and  by  the  "  beauty  of  holiness  " 
commend  the  "  fulness  of  its  blessings  "  to  their  approval. 
In  our  business  relations,  our  modes  of  living,  the  choice 
of  our  recreations,  and  even  the  exercise  of  our  tastes,  we 
shall  be  made  willing  to  practise  that  personal  restraint  and 
self-sacrifice  which  should  ever  mark  the  disciple  of  Jesus. 


8 


DEMORALIZING    LITERATURE    AND  ART. 


As  the  number  of  these  faithful  Christians  shall  multiply, 
a  fuller  and  more  united  testimony ,  we  doubt  not,  will  be 
borne  against  evil  in  every  shape.  A  higher  tone  will  be 
given  to  public  sentiment ;  the  press,  the  school,  the  busi- 
ness community,  the  civil  government,  will  all  receive  nobler 
and  higher  impulses ;  and  thus  shall  our  favored  land  be 
brought  rightly  to  fill  that  influential  position  among  the 
nations  for  which  it  is  so  eminently  fitted,  and  for  which 
we  may  trustfully  believe  it  has  been  hitherto  preserved  by 
an  Almighty  hand. 


No.  136. 

THE 

SAILOR  IN  PRISON 

to  ins 

Fellow  Sailors 

AND  TO  HIS 

Former  Companions. 


BY 

WILLIAM  GRINDER 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TBACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 


1884. 


THE 

SAILOR  IN  PRISON. 


I  was  born  in  England,  in  the  year  1819.  I  had  six 
brothers  and  five  sisters.  My  father,  a  man  who  kept  very 
strict  to  the  Church  of  England  and  was  a  man  of  prayer, 
and  kept  a  very  strict  restraint  on  us  boys  to  keep  us  to 
church  and  reading  in  the  New  Testament  every  night,  and 
heard  every  one  of  us  say  our  prayers  before  we  went  to 
bed.  My  mother  was  a  slave  to  reading  novels,  which 
caused  much  unhappiness  to  my  poor  father,  but  I  believe 
the  Lord  heard  and  answered  his  prayers,  for  not  one  of  his 
children  would  ever  read  one  of  them,  and  I  have  a  good 
hope  that  my  mother  saw  the  evil  of  the  practice  before  she 
died.  The  last  time  I  saw  her  she  had  changed  the  novels 
for  the  Bible. 

She  lived  ten  years  after  my  father.  When  I  was  nearly 
eighteen  years  old,  one  day  I  met  a  boy  th.it  had  l<  en  a 
little  at  sea,  and  we  saw  bills  posted  up  which  read  u  Want- 
ed for  His  Majesty's  ships,  men  and  boys."  TL-2  uexi  day 
we  started  for  Portsmouth,  a  distance  of  twenty-live  miles, 
and  went  on  board  the  school-ship  Victory.  Passing  the 
doctor,  I  remained  on  board  this  ship  eight  months.  Here 
I  learned  to  write  what  little  I  can.  We  only  had  one 
month  at  a  time  to  school,  the  next  we  had  to  work  either 
at  the  dock  yard  or  the  rigging  loft.  I  was  then  drafted  to 
go  to  sea,  and  remained  in  the  navy  seven  years.  Between 
the  years  1838  and  1866,  I  was  about  twelve  years  at  sea 


4 


Till:     SAILOR     IN  PRISON 


in  the  merchant  service.  In  the  year  1848,  I  sailed  in  a 
brig  for  Barbadoes,  in  the  West  Indies.  The  captain  had 
all  hands  aft  in  the  cabin  every  night,  and  read  to  us  and 
prayed.  But  I  was  at  that  time  reckless  and  prayerless, 
and  I  got  drunk  and  insulted  both  the  captain  and  his 
wife.  So  he  asked  me  if  I  would  take  my  discharge.  I 
told  him  yes.  So  he  paid  me  off  and  I  went  ashore ;  but 
I  greatly  repented  that  I  had  insulted  that  good  Christian 
man  and  his  wife.  Both  seemed  so  sorry  for  me,  and  I  make 
no  doubt  but  that  they  prayed  for  me :  it  was  a  restraint 
on  me  for  years  after,  from  drinking.  I  then  shipped  for 
Porto  Rico  on  an  American  brig,  to  load  for  New  York, 
where  we  arrived  in  midsummer.  I  afterwards  sailed  to 
California,  Australia,  Callao,  the  Chincha  Islands,  and 
London.  From  the  last  named  place  I  came  to  New  Jer- 
sey in  1856,  and  went  to  boating  until  the  fall  of  1862, 
when  I  again  went  to  sea.  In  1866,  I  quit  the  sea  and 
again  went  to  boating  on  the  Morris  Canal.  In  the  fall  I 
bought  a  canal  store  and  stable  at  Port  Morris.  In  the 
spring  of  1867  I  started  to  keep  store  and  bake  bread  to 
sell  to  the  boatmen.  I  sold  beer  and  whiskey,  which  be- 
came a  snare  to  me.  In  the  summer  of  1870,  I  was  at 
Stanhope  depot,  and  undertook  to  jump  on  a  coal  train  that 
was  passing,  and  I  got  dragged  under  the  cars,  and  all  the 
toes  were  cut  off  my  right  foot,  and  that  laid  me  up  for  a 
long  while,  and  kept  me  much  in  the  house.  I  got  to 
drinking  very  heavy ;  in  the  room  of  repenting  of  my  evil 
ways,  I  still  hardened  my  heart  against  the  Lord. 

In  the  summer  of  1871,  the  Lord  laid  his  hand  on  me; 
I  was  laid  up  with  erysipelas  of  the  leg  for  one  month. 
W  hen  I  got  better  I  commenced  to  drink  worse  and  worse, 
so  at  last  I  chased  my  housekeeper  away,  and  kept  her  out 
for  a  week  and  shut  up  my  shop ;  but  oh  !  how  did  God's 
witness  strive  with  me  and  make  me  ashamed.    He  never 


T  0     HIS     FELL  ( )  W 


SAILORS 


5 


withdrew  his  Spirit  with  all  my  resisting  Him.  What 
shall  I  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  his  goodness  in  snatch- 
ing me  as  a  brand  from  the  burning ! 

In  the  fall  of  1871,  five  men  came  to  my  store  and  got 
a  bottle  of  whiskey  from  the  boy  who  had  charge  of  the 
shop.  Three  of  them  ran  away  with  it,  while  the  others 
staved  behind  to  keep  me  from  going  after  them.  I  was 
sitting  in  another  room  and  had  been  drinking.  The  boy 
ran  into  my  bedroom  and  took  down  my  revolver  which 
was  hanging  on  a  nail,  and  ran  out  after  them.  For  fear 
the  boy  would  shoot  some  of  them,  I  called  him  and  took 
the  pistol  from  him.  A  man  who  had  been  out  of  prison 
a  short  time,  then  came  to  me  with  an  iron  bolt  in  his 
hand,  and  threatened  me  if  I  did  not  take  the  pistol  into 
the  house.  The  other  man  staved  behind  him,  and  I  can- 
not say  for  certain  whether  he  caught  hold  of  the  pistol  or 
not.  At  any  rate,  the  pistol  went  off  and  shot  him  in  the 
thigh.  The  main  artery  was  cut,  and  he  soon  bled  to 
death.  I  was  arrested  and  put  in  prison,  where  I  had 
delirium  tremens  for  about  a  week.  The  doetor  ordered 
me  three  drinks  of  whiskey  a  day,  which  I  took  for  ten 
days,  and  then  I  made  up  my  mind  with  the  help  of  God, 
I  would  not  take  any  more  till  my  trial,  which  came  off  in 
1-72. 

The  Lord's  time  was  now  come  to  waken  me  out  of  my 
dead  sleep  in  sin.  The  sheriff's  wife  brought  me  a  small 
book,  a  call  to  prayer,  and  read  part  of  it,  and  every  line 
seemed  to  say  to  me,  "thou  art  the  man  that  is  living 
prayerless,"  and  God's  witness  did  very  maeh  urge  me  to 
pray,  but  my  stubborn  hard  heart  would  not  yield,  so  I 
went  to  bed  but  not  to  sleep ;  the  same  sound  was  in  my 
ears  "  thou  art  the  man  that  is  living  prayerless."  Then 
was  the  time  that  God's  witness  was  working  with  me,  and 
now  was  His  time  come,  for  I  could  not  get  that  sound  out 


6 


THE    SAILOR    IX  PRISON 


of  ray  ears,  it  kept  on  drumming  in  my  ears  "  thou  art  the 
man,  get  up  and  go  on  thy  knees."  So  at  last  I  got  up 
and  lit  my  lamp  and  read  the  rest  of  the  book.  I  did  not 
go  on  my  knees  that  night,  for  my  stubborn  heart  would  net 
yield  to  the  heavenly  call,  but  all  the  next  day  the  same 
sound  was  in  my  ears,  "  go  on  thy  knees  and  pray."  The 
nex'c  night  I  went  on  my  knees  and  all  I  could  say  was 
"  God  have  mercy  on  me  a  sinner."  Oh,  what  agony  I 
was  in;  that  was  all  I  could  pray  at  that  time;  but  oh, 
what  rage  the  devil  was  in  to  see  me  on  ray  knees ;  he  stood 
by  me  and  said,  "  now  you  are  making  a  fool  of  yourself; 
do  you  think  God  will  hear  prayers  after  living  52  years 
prayerless." 

I  had  never  prayed  before ;  I  had  said  many  and  many 
long  ones,  but  never  prayed  one  before.  I  was  then  for  a 
week  in  such  despondency  that  I  could  not  go  on  ray  knees ; 
and  all  the  comfort  I  could  get  was  reading  David's  Psalms, 

After  that  week,  in  despair,  I  commenced  to  pray  again, 
and  thanks  be  to  God,  I  never  gave  it  up,  and  after  a  long 
struggle  I  got  peace,  but  not  without  a  hard  fight  with  the 
devil,  for  he  was  very  loth  to  let  such  a  faithful  servant 
go  as  I  had  been  to  him.  Evil  spirits  followed  me  night 
and  day,  and  would  come  close  to  me  and  curse  God,  and 
then  try  to  make  me  believe  that  it  was  myself.  It  is  very 
hard  for  a  man  with  the  sins  of  52  years  to  break  away 
from  Satan,  it  is  one  of  the  hardest  things  possible,  and  he 
never  could  in  his  own  strength,  if  God  did  not  help  him. 
The  devil  will  not  disturb  the  hope  of  the  formal  professor 
or  of  the  hypocrite,  but  when  he  sees  a  man  set  his  heart  on 
God  he  will  use  all  kinds  of  ways  to  win  him  back ;  he 
knows  his  most  besetting  sin,  and  that  is  what  he  will  play 
upon.  Thanks  be  to  God  for  giving  me  power  to  hold  on. 
I  found  it  a  ver)'  hard  fight  to  overcome  the  big  score  that 
Jay  on  me.    I  found  myself  to  be  my  greatest  enemy  to 


TO     HIS     FELLOW  SAILORS 


7 


overcome,  and  evil  worldly  thoughts,  and  I  had  a  hard 
fight  for  about  three  months,  and  then  I  began  to  arrive  at 
the  port  of  peace. 

When  I  first  began  to  feel  that  good  peace,  I  then  wished 
to  die,  for  fear  the  enemy  should  get  the  advantage  of  me, 
but  when  God  became  my  teacher  himself,  I  hung  on  to 
that  good  promise  of  our  blessed  Lord  Jesus,  "  Him  that 
cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  I  grew  very 
anxious  to  help  others,  for  a  man  when  he  once  sees  his 
own  lost  estate  will  endeavor  to  help  others ;  he  will  pity 
every  one  that  he  sees  out  of  the  way,  and  speak  a  word  to 
every  one  as  the  Lord  moves  him  to  do.  I  was  locked  up 
for  the  first  five  months  in  a  room  by  myself ;  I  had  no 
teacher  but  the  Lord  Jesus,  but  I  found  Him  to  be  the 
only  true  teacher.  There  were  persons  came  in  every  Sun- 
day to  read  and  sing  and  pray  with  the  prisoners;  there 
was  one  man  I  found  to  be  a  Christian.  The  Lord  has 
opened  my  eyes  to  see  that  to  be  a  Christian  requires  a  man 
to  be  born  again.  Jesus  has  said,  except  a  man  be  born 
again  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God. 

I  hope  my  readers  will  remember  what  Jesus  says,  "  he 
cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God."  It  is  useless  for  any  one 
to  think  to  get  to  heaven  without  entering  through  the 
straight  gate  of  repentance. 

I  take  my  imprisonment  to  be  the  greatest  blessing  ever 
bestowed  on  me,  for  then  I  found  out  my  greatest  enemy 
and  that  it  was  myself.  The  heart  is  deceitful  above  all 
things.  Satan  is  on  watch  night  and  day  to  drown  our 
hearts  in  worldly  thoughts,  but  if  we  keep  our  minds  on 
Jesus  He  is  ever  ready  to  defend  us,  He  holds  Satan  with 
a  chain.  Before  this  I  always  thought  that  if  I  wronged 
no  one  and  dealt  honest  with  every  one,  I  should  do  well 
enough,  but  when  it  pleased  God  to  open  my  eyes  to  see 
my  lost  condition,  I  could  see  that  I  was  quite  out  of  the 


8 


THE    SAILOR    IN  PRISON 


way  and  that  I  must  start  new  in  life.  I  have  read  that 
people  have  become  Christians  all  of  a  sudden,  but  I  found 
I  had  a  great  deal  to  do.  There  are  too  many  call  them- 
selves Christians  when  they  are  not ;  they  must  be  bora 
of  the  Spirit,  and  this  they  will  not  be,  while  they  go  into 
the  fashions  of  the  world.  And  Christ  says,  "  my  king- 
dom is  not  Of  this  world." 

The  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard,  and  any  man,  either 
sailor  or  soldier  or  any  other  man,  will  never  know  peace 
if  he  lets  his  heart  depart  from  God  and  lives  prayerless. 

Brother  sailors ;  if  any  of  you  are  living  prayerless  I 
warn  you  solemnly  that  you  are  in  a  position  of  fearful 
danger ;  if  you  die  in  your  present  state  you  are  lost  souls ; 
you  will  be  eternally  miserable.  You  are  utterly  without 
excuse,  there  is  not  a  single  good  reason  that  you  can  show 
for  living  without  prayer ;  it  is  useless  to  say  you  know 
not  how  t  pray — prayer  is  the  simplest  act  in  all  religion ; 
it  is  spe  i  mg  to  God.  It  needs  neither  learning,  nor  wis- 
dom, nor  book  knowledge,  to  begin  it;  it  needs  nothing 
but  heart  and  will.  There  must  be  the  first  step  in  every 
journey.  If  you  have  any  desire  for  the  saving  of  your 
soul  and  want  to  know  what  to  do,  I  advise  you  to  go  this 
very  day  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  first  private  place 
you  can  find,  and  earnestly  and  heartily  entreat  Him  in 
prayer  to  save  your  soul ;  tell  Him  in  your  own  wTay  and 
in  your  own  words ;  doubt  not  his  willingness  to  save  you 
because  you  are  a  sinner ;  wait  not  because  you  feel  un- 
worthy, you  will  never  mend  yourself  by  staying  away. 
When  I  threw  away  all  other  prayers  that  I  had  learned 
out  of  books  which  were  made  by  man,  and  depended  on 
the  Lord  alone,  I  found  that  He  gave  me  plenty  of  words 
to  pray  with.  I  abandoned  all  prayers  but  the  Lord's 
prayer,  for  by  it  we  are  taught  to  pray  for  our  daily  bread, 
not  a  week's,  or  a  month's,  or  a  year's.    We  are  taught  to 


TO     HIS     FELLOW  SAILORS. 


9 


pray  only  for  the  day  we  are  in ;  we  may  see  by  that,  the 
Lord  looks  for  us  to  depend  on  Him  for  all  our  wants. 

Now  to  all  you  that  forget  God,  hear  what  He  says: 
"Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way  and  the  unrighteous  man 
his  thoughts,  aud  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord  and  He  will 
have  mercy  upon  him,  and  to  our  God,  for  He  will  abun- 
dantly pardon." — Isaiah  lv.  7.  "The  soul  that  sinnethit 
shall  die,  but  if  the  wicked  will  turn  from  all  his  sins  that 
he  hath  committed  and  keep  all  my  statutes,  and  do  that 
which  is  lawful  and  right,  he  shall  surely  live,  he  shall  not 
die;  all  his  transgressions  that  he  hath  committed  they 
shall  not  be  mentioned  unto  him ;  in  his  righteousness  that 
he  hath  done  he  shall  live."— Ezekiel  xviii.  21,  22.  "  The 
Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  that  call  upon  Him,  to  all  that  call 
upon  Him  in  truth.  He  will  fulfil  the  desire  of  them  that  fear 
Him,  He  also  will  hear  their  cry  and  will  save  them.  The 
Lord  preserveth  all  them  that  love  Him ;  but  all  the  wicked 
will  He  destroy."— Psalms  cxlv.  18,  19,  20. 

Shipmates!  I  thought  I  would  show  you  some  of  God's 
precious  promises ;  I  will  not  leave  you  on  a  lee  shore,  I 
will  show  a  way  to  escape. 

Did  ever  any  of  you  take  a  good  look  at  eternity  and 
consider  the  length  of  it.  Now  suppose  one  drop  of  water 
was  taken  out  of  the  sea  in  a  year,  there  would  be  a  day 
when  the  sea  would  be  empty  and  dry ;  but  this  great 
eternity  will  never  end.  The  great  and  merciful  God  has 
made  a  way  for  our  escape.  Hear  what  He  says  in  the 
18th  chapter  of  Ezekiel,  "turn  and  live,"  for  why  will  you 
forever  die.  I  wrant  you  to  understand  what  this  means — 
turn  and  live — it  is  not  to  patch  up  the  old  house,  it  is  to 
pull  all  down  and  build  all  anew  on  the  sure  foundation, 
that  sure  and  solid  rock  that  the  devil  can  never  shake. 
You  may  paint  and  putty  up  an  old  ship  and  make  her 
look  good  to  the  eye  while  she  lies  in  dock,  but  with  all 


10 


THE    SAILOR    III  PRISON 


your  paint  and  putty  it  will  not  prevent  her  going  down 
in  the  first  gale  of  wind  she  gets  in  at  sea.  So  shipmates, 
while  you  carry  about  with  you  an  old  treacherous  hard 
heart,  that  is  full  of  envy,  hatred,  and  malice,  both  against 
God  and  man,  you  will  find  you  will  never  be  at  peace 
either  with  God,  with  yourselves,  or  any  one  else;  but  if 
you  look  to  your  true  and  free  teacher  Christ  Jesus,  and 
follow  his  teaching,  you  will  never  run  aground.  God  has 
given  every  man  an  inward  witness  to  guide  him,  that  will 
bear  witness  to  him  when  he  does  evil  and  give  him  praise 
when  he  does  well,  but  if  he  refuses  that  light  and  hates  it, 
that  same  light  will  be  his  condemner.  Jesus  has  said,  "I 
am  the  light  of  the  world,  he  that  followeth  me  shall  not  walk 
in  darkness  but  shall  have  the  light  of  life." — John  viii.  12. 
God  has  said,  "  this  is  my  well  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am 
well  pleased,  hear  ye  Him."  He  did  not  say  you  are  to 
hear  from  vain  man,  but  to  hear  Him  within  your  own 
hearts.  I  doubt  not  some  of  you  have  heard  Him  speak- 
ing to  your  own  hearts  when  you  have  been  going  into  a 
rum  shop,  or  a  bad  place  of  resort;  heard  Him  say,  "stop, 
that  leads  to  eternal  death."  Hear  what  Moses  said  about 
the  light  within,  long  before  Christ  came  in  the  flesh:  "  It 
is  not  in  Heaven,  that  thou  shouldest  say,  who  shall  go  up 
for  us  to  Heaven  and  bring  it  unto  us  that  we  may  hear  it 
and  do  it ;  neither  is  it  beyond  the  sea,  that  thou  shouldest 
say,  who  shall  go  over  the  sea  for  us  and  bring  it  unto  us, 
that  we  may  hear  it  and  do  it,  but  the  word  is  very  nigh 
unto  thee,  in  thy  mouth  and  in  thy  heart,  that  thou  mayest 
do  it." — Deuteronomy  xxx.  12,  13,  14. 

The  Good  Shepherd  says :  "  I  will  bring  the  blind  by 
a  way  that  they  knew  not,  I  will  lead  them  in  paths  that 
they  have  not  known,  I  will  make  darkness  light  before 
them,  and  crooked  things  straight;  these  things  will  I  do 
unto  them  and  not  forsake  them." 


TO     HIS     FELLOW  SAILORS. 


11 


If  we  will  follow  the  light  that  the  Lord  has  given  us 
it  will  never  lead  us  astray,  but  will  lead  us  into  all  truth. 
If  we  cease  from  man  and  follow  Jesus,  He  will  teach  us 
to  do  unto  all  men  as  we  would  that  they  should  do  to  us. 

We  must  resist  all  evil  thoughts  and  set  a  watch  over 
them  to  resist  the  first  springing  of  them,  for  the  only  way 
to  be  free  is  by  keeping  a  strict  watch  over  them.  The 
enemy  never  lets  one  chance  slip  to  draw  our  minds  down 
from  heavenly  things  to  earthly ;  he  could  never  lead  the 
greater  part  of  the  world  to  destruction  if  they  would  con- 
sider when  they  are  led  by  him  and  that  they  must  give 
an  account  for  every  idle  word.  Therefore  set  a  watch 
over  your  thoughts  and  the  door  of  your  lips,  and  of  all 
things  don't  let  your  lips  take  the  Lord's  name  in  vain. 

Every  man  has  got  enough  light  given  him  if  he  will 
only  be  guided  by  it.  Paul  says  the  manifestation  of  the 
Spirit  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit  withal,  1  Cor.  xii.  7 ; 
so  that  leaves  every  man  without  excuse. 

Do  you  know  that  "  Cursed  be  the  man  that  trusteth  in 
man  and  maketh  flesh  his  arm  and  whose  heart  departeth 
from  the  Lord." — Jer.  xvii.  5.  I  hope,  my  reader,  you  are 
not  that  one.  Take  one  good  look  at  eternity  every  day 
and  see  the  length  of  it,  and  then  take  a  look  at  your  little 
life  here. 

I  think  there  are  no  men  have  a  better  chance  than 
sailors  /'or  meditation  and  thinking  of  the  world  to  come. 
When  on  the  lookout  or  standing  at  the  helm  at  night,  see 
what  an  excellent  chance  you  have  if  you  would  only  use 
it,  in  thinking  of  your  never  dying  soul.  One  hour  spent 
on  things  for  the  benefit  of  your  never  dying  soul,  would 
be  worth  more  than  all  the  vain  thoughts  you  ever  allowed 
yourselves  to  indulge  in.  To  be  real  happy  you  must  get 
it  by  staying  on  the  Lord  Jesus.  He  thought  it  worth 
his  life  to  die  for  us  to  give  us  life,  and  is  it  not  worth  our 


12 


THE    SAILOR    IX  PRISON 


thoughts,  when  He  was  willing  to  die  for  us.  We  can  have 
everlasting  life  if  we  believe  in  what  He  has  done  for  us, 
and  wrill  allow  his  Spirit,  which  He  has  sent  us,  to  guide 
us,  and  which  will  bear  witness  to  us  when  we  do  evil  and 
give  us  praise  when  we  do  well. 

I  will  leave  it  to  any  of  my  readers  if  they  have  not  felt 
that  inward  witness  to  reprove  them  when  they  have  done 
that  which  was  not  right. 

When  I  was  in  the  whiskey  business  I  had  strong  re- 
bukes from  the  inward  witness,  for  the  whole  four  years 
that  I  was  in  that  miserable  business. 

I  will  write  this  verse,  the  5th  of  the  3rd  chapter  of 
Luke,  "  Every  valley  shall  be  filled,  and  every  mountain 
and  hill  shall  be  brought  low :  and  the  crooked  shall  be 
made  straight  and  the  rough  ways  shall  be  made  smooth." 
And  now  I  will  explain  that  verse  as  well  as  I  can.  The 
great  high  mountain  of  worldly  mindedness  that  is  in  us 
must  be  judged  and  brought  down;  and  the  next  great  sin 
of  self-conceit  and  pride  must  be  judged  and  laid  in  the 
dust  if  ever  we  think  to  get  our  hearts  near  to  God ;  and 
our  crooked  and  bad  temper  that  is  full  of  envy  against 
our  neighbor  and  covets  what  is  not  our  own,  must  be 
made  straight.  We  must  sweep  all  these  intruders  out  of 
our  hearts,  for  the  Lord  will  not  stay  where  the  heart  is 
full  of  itself,  and  envy  and  malice  and  covetousness  and 
hatred  of  our  neighbors.  All  thes^  rough  places  in  us 
must  be  made  smooth,  before  the  Lord  will  take  up  his 
abode  in  our  hearts. 

It  is  sport  for  the  devil  when  he  can  lead  you  into  all 
kinds  of  evil  thoughts  and  get  you  to  quarrel  with  any  of 
your  shipmates  or  captains,  or  when  he  can  hear  you  swear 
and  keep  your  hearts  full  of  envy  and  malice  against  them. 

Kow  sailors,  I  hope  you  will  consider  your  bringing  up 
place,  and  throw  away  all  thoughts  of  ever  getting  into  that 


TO     HIS     FELLOW  SAILORS. 


13 


snug  harbor  unless  you  set  your  mind  on  it.  Remember, 
there  are  but  two  places,  Heaven  and  Hell. 

Jesus  can  fill  your  hearts  full  of  love  and  peace  if  you 
will  but  serve  Him,  and  He  can  give  you  comfort  whatever 
might  be  your  condition,  and  even  in  the  greatest  danger 
you  may  never  fear  death,  because  He  can  take  away  the 
sting. 

AVhere  God's  Spirit  is  there  is  love,  and  you  can  .ever 
love  your  enemies  and  pray  for  them. 

Remember,  there  is  but  one  voyage  through  life,  there  is 
no  coming  back  to  amend  our  ways,  and  all  depends  on  how 
we  have  steered  our  course.  If  we  have  had  our  hearts  set 
in  the  earth,  wrhat  would  it  be  if  the  Lord  should  say  on 
the  day  of  judgment,  "  Depart  from  me  ye  cursed,  into  ever- 
lasting punishment  prepared  for  the  devil  and  all  those 
that  have  worked  for  him."  If  I  had  not  made  a  new 
start  in  life  and  witnessed  the  power  of  God  in  the  wash- 
ing of  regeneration,  I  should  not  be  so  anxious  about  others 
that  have  not  found  out  the  enemy's  deceit.  Oh,  that  men 
would  consider  their  latter  end  and  follow  the  light  which 
we  hive  all  within  our  hearts,  and  if  we  will  only  turn  to 
it  and  love  it  and  not  hate  it,  it  will  show  us  all  our  sins. 
Many  pretend  to  be  great  Christians  whose  hearts  have 
never  been  swept  with  the  fan  which  is  always  in  his  hand  to 
sweep  away  the  chaif  and  burn  up  all  the  worldly  thoughts. 

Reader,  if  you  should  ever  witness  that  new  birth  of 
regeneration  and  get  into  the  same  Spirit  that  wrote  the 
Scripture,  then  you  will  have  a  right  judgment ;  you  will 
know  a  hypocrite  just  as  soon  as  he  begins  to  speak,  for 
that  inward  witness  is  very  quick  witted.  Hear  what  John 
■:,;ays  in  the  2nd  chapter  of  the  first  Epistle,  27th  verse. 
"  But  the  anointing  Avhich  ye  have  received  of  Him  abideth 
in  you,  and  ye  need  not  that  any  man  teach  you :  but  as 
the  same  anointing  teacheth  you  of  a!l  things,  and  is  truth, 


14 


THE     SAILOR     IX  PRISON 


and  is  no  lie,  and  even  as  it  hath  taught  you,  ye  shall  abide 
in  Him."  As  we  abide  in  Him  and  let  Him  be  our  guide 
He  will  take  all  our  joys  and  all  our  troubles.  If  a  man 
tries  to  carry  his  own  burdens  he  will  find  the  very  grass- 
hoppers to  be  a  burden  to  him  some  day.  A  man  must 
seek  help  from  the  Almighty  to  stand  against  the  enemy 
of  his  soul,  for  he  is  always  on  the  watch  to  draw  us  into  his 
net,  and  if  the  light  that  is  in  us  be  darkness  how  great  is 
that  darkness. 

Sailors,  I  hope  you  w7ill  take  the  advice  of  one  that  has 
been  through  the  mill,  that  has  seen  all  sides  of  the  world. 
I  want  you  to  remember,  never  to  board  in  a  rum  shop,  for 
the  man  that  will  do  that  will  soon  be  on  a  lee  shore.  Be- 
ware of  the  land  sharks,  the  boarding  house  runners,  and 
never  let  the  first  glass  of  strong  drink  touch  your  lips,  the 
clanger  lies  in  the  first  glass,  for  it  often  leads  to  a  second, 
and  a  third,  and  then  you  are  ready  for  any  thing,  either 
for  a  fight,  or  a  disreputable  place,  or  the  theatre,  or  dance 
house,  or  any  thing  the  devil  has  for  you  to  do.  Oh  that 
men  that  follow  the  sea  could  give  a  wide  berth,  and  shun 
all  the  boarding  houses  that  sell  rum.  I  have  done  drink- 
ing all  kind  of  strong  drink,  it  has  got  me  into  prison,  and 
it  was  of  God's  mercy  that  it  did  not  get  me  into  worse,  but 
spared  me,  blessed  and  praised  be  his  holy  name  forever, 
and  humbled  me  so  that  I  can  see  now  that  to  have  been 
left  to  myself  I  should  have  gone  to  that  place  where  mercy 
never  comes. 

And  now  sailors,  this  is  from  one  that  never  went  ap- 
prentice to  be  a  preacher,  or  ever  had  a  pen  in  his  hand  in 
a  school,  and  can  scarcely  read  his  own  writing;  it  is  my 
love  to  your  souls  that  makes  me  write  this  tract  to  let  you 
see  that  if  you  seek  the  Lord  with  all  your  hearts  that  you 
will  find  Him,  and  you  have  not  to  go  to  this  church  or 
that  church,  but  then  you  will  find  Him  in  your  hearts. 


TO     HIS     FELL  0  W  SAILORS. 


13 


You  must  never  think  yourself  safe  till  you  feel  that  you 
have  got  a  thorough  change  of  heart,  and  that  you  have 
been  steering  a  wrong  course  all  your  life,  and  your  need 
of  a  Saviour. 

Sailors!  I  have  done  my  best  to  show  you  that  there  is 
nothing  out  of  heaven  that  is  worth  setting  one's  mind  on, 
and  that  no  man  will  ever  get  there  that  has  not  got  his 
mind  on  it  above  everything  else,  and  has  not  got  the 
thorough  change  wrought  in  him. 

Jesus  says,  "  that  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that  worship 
Him  must  worship  Him  in  Spirit  and  in  Truth." — John 
iv.  24.  And  when  Jesus  says  that  we  need  not  think  going 
to  church  once  a  week  will  serve  for  spiritual  worship,  He 
wants  us  to  be  always  pouring  out  our  hearts  to  Him  if  we 
would  overcome  the  enemy  of  our  souls ;  we  must  always 
be  praying  in  our  hearts  to  be  kept  out  of  temptation,  for 
we  are  weak  poor  mortals  in  ourselves.  We  must  be  al- 
ways on  the  watch,  and  be  as  attentive  as  we  would  be  in 
steering  a  ship  in  a  gale  of  wind  so  as  not  let  her  broach  to, 
for  you  know  that  unless  you  keep  a  good  watch  in  steer- 
ing in  a  gale,  you  are  in  great  danger  with  your  own  life 
and  all  on  board,  and  so  you  are  in  far  greater  danger  with 
your  immortal  soul  if  you  let  your  heart  depart  from  God. 

I  have  read  some  books  on  religion,  with  many  things 
in  them  that  was  not  according  to  my  belief.  I  have  read 
some  that  say  we  can't  do  anything  ourselves,  that  Christ 
has  done  all,  and  that  we  have  nothing  to  do  but  believe. 
My  belief  is  that  we  must  be  doing  as  well  as  believing, 
that  we  must  forsake  our  sins,  overcome  all  evil  thoughts, 
and  be  always  on  the  watch.  Just  as  soon  as  we  let  our 
hearts  wander  from  the  heavenly  light  and  go  into  the 
earth,  then  the  enemy  will  lose  no  time  to  keep  us  in  earthly 
thoughts  and  show  us  all  the  splendor  of  his  domain ;  but 
when  the  glare  of  the  world  is  put  out  in  a  man's  mind  he 


THE    SAILOR     IN  PRISON 


will  be  able  to  see  Satan's  snares,  and  that  there  is  a  Saviour 
ready  to  receive  him  if  he  will  only  seek  Him  with  all  his 
heart.  He  may  lead  us  against  our  own  wills  but  will 
never  lead  us  wrong. 

Now  I  will  come  to  the  conclusion  of  my  tract,  with  my 
belief  that  the  whole  duty  of  man  is  to  keep  his  heart  on 
things  above;  to  set  our  hearts  on  God  and  mind  the  light 
that  He  has  given  us ;  and  I  believe  that  if  we  refuse  that 
light  it  will  be  a  witness  against  us  and  condemn  us.  No 
one  can  ever  get  a  right  knowledge  of  himself  till  he  can 
see  that  light  through  himself  and  understand  it  to  be  the 
light  and  life  of  Jesus ;  and  no  man  can  overcome  evil  and 
worldly  thoughts  in  his  own  strength  but  must  keep  in  the 
light  and  life  of  Jesus. 

May  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  rest  on  all  that 
read  my  tract,  and  give  them  power  over  all  evil.  Amen. 

WILLIAM  GRINDER. 

The  foregoing  Tract  was  written  whilst  the  author  was  in  prison, 
and  after  his  release  he  distributed  many  copies,  chiefly  among  sea- 
faring men. 

His  health  was  much  impaired  by  long  confinement  and  previous 
hardship  and  exposure;  yet  lie  was  able  for  several  years  to  serve  as  a 
cook  on  coasting  vessels,  and  crossed  the  sea  a  few  times.  His  conduct 
and  conversation  was  such  as  gained  the  confidence  and  good  will  of 
his  employers  and  those  he  associated  with,  for  whose  welfare  he  was 
concerned,  and  at  times  had  a  word  of  exhortation. 

It  is  believed  that  his  life,  after  his  conversion,  was  in  keeping  with 
his  profession. 

His  last  sickness  was  of  some  months'  duration,  and  his  patience, 
contentment,  and  apparent  resignation  gave  evidence  that  he  experi- 
enced the  supporting  power  of  religion. 

It  was  cause  of  admiration  that  one  whose  former  course  had  been 
so  fraught  with  evil,  should  in  the  evening  of  his  day  be  in  so  peaceful 
a  condition  of  mind,  and  in  the  approach  of  death  have  nothing  to  fear 
— remarking  that  he  saw  nothing  in  his  way. 

He  died  in  Philadelphia  the  9th  of  11th  mo.,  1883. 


No.  137. 


INJURIOUS  EFFECTS 

OF 

TOBACCO. 


SECOND  EDITION. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OP  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1893. 


INJURIOUS  EFFECTS  OF  TOBACCO. 


The  attention  of  many  thoughtful  people  has  been 
seriously  turned  to  the  manifest  deterioration  and  prema- 
ture decay  of  our  American  people.  In  the  six  years 
between  1876  and  1881,  inclusive,  in  the  State  of  Massa- 
chusetts, the  deaths  of  native  Americans  exceeded  the 
births  by  29,796.  Other  parts  of  the  country  show  a 
similar  decadence.  Diseases  of  the  nervous  system,  too, 
including  neuralgia,  paralysis,  epilepsy,  and  insanity,  are 
largely  on  the  increase.  Of  the  causes  that  are  operating 
in  producing  this  alarming  state  of  affairs,  evidence  is 
accumulating  that  Tobacco  is  one. 


Active  Principles. 

There  are  two  distinctive  ingredients  peculiar  to 
tobacco,  each  of  which  is  a  powerful  poison.  1.  Nico- 
tine, a  few  grains  of  which,  when  taken  into  the  hu- 
man stomach,  causes  death  in  a  few  minutes.  2.  An 
empyreumatic  oil,  obtained  by  distillation,  is  also  ex- 
tremely poisonous  in  very  small  quantities.  Havana 
tobacco  contains  two  per  cent,  of  nicotine,  but  Vir- 
ginia tobacco,  which  is  largely  used  in  America, 
contains  seven  per  cent,  of  this  principle.  This  ex- 
plains the  more  deleterious  effects  of  tobacco  in  our 
country  than  in  some  others  where  the  herb  is  less 
rich  in  nicotine. 


INJURIOUS    EFFECTS    OF  TOBACCO. 


8 


Physical  Effects. 

Mackenzie,  of  Glasgow,  first  noticed  that  male 
patients  affected  with  one  species  of  amaurosis — loss  of 
sight  without  perceptible  alteration  of  the  eyes — were 
mostly  great  lovers  of  tobacco. 

Crichett,  the  eminent  English  oculist,  says  that  he  is 
constantly  consulted  by  men  for  commencing  blindness, 
caused  solely  by  great  smoking.  Other  oculists  have  a 
similar  testimony.  Sichel,  of  Paris,  found  cases  of  blind- 
ness easily  cured  by  cessation  from  the  use  of  tobacco. 

Sally,  of  St.  Thomas  Hospital,  London,  says  :  "  It  is 
my  business  to  point  out  all  the  various  and  insidious 
causes  of  general  paralysis,  and  smoking  is  one  of  them. 
I  know  of  no  single  vice  which  does  so  much  harm  as 
smoking ;  it  is  a  snare  and  a  delusion.  I  believe  that 
cases  of  general  paralysis  are  more  frequent  in  England 
than  they  used  to  be,  and  I  suspect  that  smoking  tobacco 
is  one  of  the  causes  of  that  increase  j  of  this  being  the 
case  in  America  there  is  no  doubt." 

Dr.  Edward  Smith  found  that  the  pulse  which  was 
naturally  74  per  minute,  rose  to  112  after  smoking  eleven 
minutes. 

The  U.  S.  Xaval  Academy  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  in 
1881,  prohibited  the  use  of  tobacco  in  the  institution, 
because  smoking,  "  having  been  tried  for  nearly  three 
years,  has  been  found  injurious  to  then  health,  discipline, 
and  powers  of  study."  Among  the  many  instances 
showing  that  the  experiment  of  permitting  the  use  of 
tobacco  in  the  Naval  Academy  was  a  failure,  the  medical 
inspector  refers  to  "  a  drawing  made  by  the  same  person 
at  two  different  times ;  one  while  free  from  the  influence 
of  tobacco,  and  the  other  after  excessive  smoking.  The 


4  INJURIOUS   EFFECTS   OF  TOBACCO. 

first  part  of  the  sketch  was  bold  and  free,  the  lines  clean, 
regular,  and  correct ;  the  second  part  hesitating,  tremu- 
lous, and  uncertain,  as  if  made  by  an  inferior  draughts- 
man." Also,  "  there  was  a  young  man,  twenty  years  of 
age,  of  great  muscular  development,  one  of  the  leaders 
in  athletic  sports,  and  one  of  the  principal  gymnasts  in 
the  academy.  He  was  found  to  have  an  irregular  and 
frequent  pulse,  100  to  120,  the  least  exertions  sending  it 
up  to  the  latter  figure  or  higher.  Upon  inquiry,  it  was 
found  that  he  was  an  excessive  smoker.  He  consented 
to  leave  off  tobacco  for  a  week.  At  the  end  of  the  week 
his  pulse  was  regular  at  76,  and  exercise  produced  no 
abnormal  palpitation.  He  returned  to  his  athletics  and 
had  no  further  trouble." 

The  same  prohibition  of  tobacco  has  been  adopted  in 
the  U.  S.  Military  Academy  at  West  Point. 

Decaise,  a  French  physician,  observed  thirty-eight 
boys  who  smoked ;  twenty-seven  of  them  had  distinct 
symptoms ;  twenty-two  had  either  disorder  of  circula- 
tion, anaemic  murmurs  in  the  neck,  palpitation,  dyspepsia, 
weakening  of  the  intellect,  and  more  or  less  desire  for 
strong  drink.  In  three  the  pulse  was  intermittent ;  ten 
had  disturbed  sleep,  and  four  ulceration  of  the  mouth. 
Eight  were  between  nine  and  twelve  years  of  age,  and 
nineteen  from  twelve  to  fifteen  years. 

It  has  not  unfrequently  been  observed  that  cancer  of 
the  mouth  and  lips  occurs  in  smokers,  particularly  those 
who  use  pipes,  which  often  become  saturated  with  the  oil 
distilled  from  the  tobacco  by  long  use. 

Dr.  B.  W.  Kichardson,  F.  K.  S.,  says  that  "  smoking 
produces  disturbances  in  the  blood,  causing  undue  fluidity 
and  change  in  the  red  corpuscles;  in  the  stomach  giving 
1* 


INJURIOUS   EFFECTS   OF  TOBACCO. 


5 


rise  to  debility,  nausea,  and  sickness  ;  on  the  heart  caus- 
ing debility  of  the  organ  and  irregular  action ;  on  the 
organs  of  sense  causing  confusion  of  vision,  bright  lines, 
luminous  specks,  and  long  retention  of  images  on  the 
retina,  with  analogous  symptoms  in  the  ear,  such  as  in- 
ability sharply  to  define  sounds,  and  the  annoyance  of  a 
sharp  ringing  sound  like  a  whistle  or  bell ;  on  the  mucous 
membrane  of  the  mouth  causing  enlargement  and  sore- 
ness of  the  tonsils,  '  smokers'  sore  throat/  redness,  dry- 
ness and  occasional  peeling  off  of  the  membrane,  and 
either  unnatural  firmness  and  contraction,  or  sponginess 
of  the  gums." 

Dr.  William  A.  Hammond,  of  Xew  York,  says : — 
"  If  boys  smoke  they  destroy  nerves,  so  that  they  are 
liable  to  neuralgia,  have  little  self-control,  injure  their 
brains,  and  stunt  their  bodies.  It  injures  their  hearing 
and  sight.  I  have  seen  cases  of  blindness  and  deafness 
caused  by  smoking." 

Well-authenticated  cases  of  delirium  tremens  are 
known  to  have  occurred  in  persons  using  tobacco  to  ex- 
cess. A  college  of  physicians  has  said  that  20,000  in 
our  land  die  annually  by  the  use  of  this  poison.  The 
testimony  of  many  physicians  is  that  diseases  in  persons 
addicted  to  the  excessive  use  of  tobacco  are  more  diffi- 
cult to  cure  than  in  others. 

Liebig,  the  celebrated  German  chemist,  says  that 
"  smoking  cigars  is  prejudicial  to  health,  as  much  gaseous 
carbon  is  injuriously  inhaled,  that  robs  the  system  of 
its  oxygen." 

Many  diseases  of  the  nervous  system,  as  epilepsy, 
paralysis,  tremors,  etc.,  occurring  in  users  of  tobacco,  have 
disappeared  when  the  habit  has  been  abandoned. 


INJURIOUS    EFFECTS   OF  TOBACCO. 

Russel  Lant  Carpenter  says  : — "  Brain  diseases  and 
those  that  result  from  impaired  digestion,  are  frequently 
produced  by  tobacco.  It  is  no  proof  of  its  harmlessness 
that  many  who  use  it  are  as  healthy  as,  or  even  more 
healthy,  than  others  who  abstain.  No  one  now  doubts 
that  foul  air  is  noxious ;  yet  in  ill-drained  towns,  where 
hundreds  every  year  fall  its  victims,  others  are  to  be 
found  enjoying  better  health,  and  reaching  a  greater 
age  than  many  who  have  wholesome  abodes.  There  is 
a  great  difference  in  the  susceptibility  to  poisonous  in- 
fluences in  different  persons;  and  those  who  offend 
against  the  laws  of  nature  in  one  respect  may  be  ob- 
servant in  others;  yet  any  habit  that  is  unwholesome, 
must  be  more  or  less  hurtful." 


Hereditary  Influence. 

A.  A.  Livermore,  of  Meadville,  Penna.,  says : — "  The 
well-nigh  unanimous  testimony  of  medical  and  scientific 
authorities  is  that  the  children  of  parents  addicted  to  the 
use  of  tobacco  inherit  a  weakened  or  diseased  constitu- 
tion, and  are  exposed  to  physical  penalties  from  which 
other  more  favored  children  are  exempt. " 

The  Spanish  nation  have  been  consumers  of  tobacco 
for  centuries.  Both  sexes  are  great  smokers ;  and  see 
how  the  noble  Castilian  has  degenerated ! 

Dr.  B.  W.  Richardson  says :  "  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say, 
that  if  a  community  of  both  sexes,  whose  progenitors 
were  finely  formed  and  powerful,  were  to  be  trained  to 
the  early  practice  of  smoking,  and  if  marriage  were  con- 
fined to  the  smokers,  an  apparently  new  and  physically 
inferior  race  of  men  and  women  would  be  bred  up." 


INJURIOUS   EFFECTS   OF  TOBACCO. 


7 


Mental  Effects. 

Dr.  Bertillon  found,  in  1855,  that  of  the  pupils  then 
at  the  Polytechnic  School  of  Paris,  108  smoked  and  52 
did  not  smoke.  The  non-smokers  stood  higher  intellec- 
tually than  the  smokers.  The  mean  rank  of  the  smokers, 
as  compared  with  the  non-smokers,  deteriorated  from 
their  entering  to  their  leaving  school. 

In  the  year  1862,  the  Emperor  Napoleon  III.  had 
his  attention  called  to  the  increased  number  of  lunatics 
and  paralytics  in  the  hospitals  of  France,  which  was  five 
times  as  many  in  proportion  to  the  population  as  there 
had  been  thirty  years  before,  and  that  the  government 
revenue  from  the  tobacco  monopoly  had  increased  during 
that  time  in  about  an  equal  ratio.  He  appointed  a  com- 
mission of  scientific  men  to  examine  whether  this  were 
a  case  of  cause  and  effect,  or  only  a  coincidence.  This 
commission  devoted  much  time  aud  attention  to  the 
young  men  in  the  government  training-school,  dividing 
the  students  into  two  classes — the  smokers  and  the  non- 
smokers.  The  latter  were  found  so  much  superior — phys- 
ically, mentally,  and  morally — that  the  Emperor  at  once 
prohibited  the  use  of  tobacco  by  students  in  all  the 
schools  under  governmental  supervision  throughout 
France. 


Moral  Effects. 

Experience  demonstrates  that  those  classes  of  people 
which  are  most  addicted  to  the  use  of  tobacco  are  also 
the  most  prone  to  drunkenness.  Almost  universal  testi- 
mony is  that  all  topers,  both  old  and  young,  first  used 
tobacco  freely.     Comparatively  few  persons  who  fre- 


8 


INJURIOUS   EFFECTS   OF  TOBACCO. 


quently  indulge  in  intoxicating  drink  will  be  found  who 
do  not  also  use  the  narcotic,  and  both  practices  are  nearly 
always  begun  in  childhood.  A  thirst  is  produced  by 
tobacco,  probably  through  an  impression  upon  the  nerve 
centres  made  by  its  poisonous  principles,  which  have  been 
absorbed  into  the  circulation.  This  thirst  is  not  satisfied 
with  water,  and  beverages  containing  alcohol  are  resorted 
to.  In  this  way  a  boy  often  paves  the  way  to  drunken- 
ness and  degradation. 

Although  many  respectable  people  still  use  tobacco  in 
some  form,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  the  habit  is  well-nigh  universal  among  the  depraved, 
the  ignorant,  and  the  vile.  Its  offensiveness  to  the  fe- 
male sex  generally,  and  to  many  of  the  most  virtuous 
and  exemplary  of  men,  tends  to  deprive  boys  and  young 
men  somewhat  of  the  influence  and  benefits  of  social  in- 
tercourse with  this  part  of  the  community.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  tendency  is  to  encourage  them  to  seek  the  soci- 
ety of  persons  whose  influence  will  not  be  so  beneficial 
to  their  moral  and  religious  growth.  The  bar-room,  the 
card-table,  the  free-and-easy,  and  other  gateways  to  the 
chambers  of  death,  always  welcome  the  tobacco  chewer 
and  smoker. 

Many  Christians  have  found  themselves  restrained 
from  indulgence  in  these  practices,  and  how  then  can 
they  be  expected  to  mingle  freely  in  social  gatherings 
with  those  who  do  thus  indulge  ?  The  young  have  need 
of  all  the  help  that  is  placed  within  their  reach  to  guard 
against  the  varied  temptations  that  beset  the  pathway 
of  life.  Tobacco  does  not  promote  morality  or  heart- 
changing  religion ;  but  it  is  often  detrimental  to  both. 
Inebriate  asylums  consider  it  useless  to  try  to  reform  a 


INJURIOUS   EFFECTS   OF  TOBACCO. 


patient  so  long  as  he  is  allowed  to  continue  using  tobacco. 
In  the  year  1880,  the  republic  of  Switzerland  enacted  a 
law  prohibiting  the  sale  of  tobacco  to  minors  under  fifteen 
years  of  age,  and  making  it  an  offence  against  the  law 
for  such  to  smoke. 


Cigarettes. 

A  chemist  of  New  York  City  purchased  from 
prominent  dealers  a  dozen  packages  of  the  highest 
priced  cigarettes.  These  were  sent  to  be  analyzed 
by  an  eminent  chemist  in  another  State,  who  aston- 
ished the  New  Yorker  by  his  report  of  the  quantity 
of  opium  found  in  these  standard  brands. 

Cigarette  wrappers  are  often  bleached  with  arsenic. 
The  representative  of  a  large  southern  tobacco  house, 
given  on  the  authority  of  the  New  York  Tribune, 
asserts  that  "  the  extent  to  which  drugs  are  used  in 
cigarettes  is  apalling." 

Dr.  Lewis  A.  Sayre  pronounces  cigarettes  to  be 
worse  for  boys  than  pipes  or  cigars,  and  paper  cigar- 
ettes to  be  worse  than  tobacco  cigarettes,  perhaps 
because  the  paper  absorbs  more  of  the  nicotine; 
that  they  lead  to  a  nervous  trembling  of  the  hands, 
and  if  used  excessively,  affect  the  memory. 

The  consumption  of  cigarettes  is  overshadowing 
all  other  branches  of  the  business,  with  an  increase 
of  millions  of  dollars  to  the  United  States  revenue 
annually.  Women  in  growing  numbers,  habitually 
use  cigarettes. 

A  teacher  of  long  experience  remarks  :  "  I  think 


10 


INJURIOUS    EFFECTS    OF  TOBACCO. 


that  at  least  seven  out  of  every  ten  boys  smoke  by 
the  time  they  are  fourteen  years  old." 

Margaret  Woods  Lawrence,  of  Marblehead,  Mass., 
says;  k'  On  a  winter's  day  may  be  seen  skating  on 
the  lake  in  Central  Park,  New  York,  thousands  of 
children,  girls  as  well  as  boys,  most  of  them  puffing 
cigarettes  bought  at  a  restaurant  close  by  for  a  [cent] 
apiece.  Indeed  one  oan  hardly  walk  the  streets  with- 
out meeting  small  boys  with  discarded  stumps  of 
cigars  or  cigarettes  in  their  mouths.  ~No  wonder 
that  Dr.  Rush  should  have  exclaimed :  '  One  cannot 
witness  this  sight  without  anticipating  such  a  depre- 
ciation of  our  posterity  in  health  and  character  as 
can  scarcely  be  contemplated  without  pain  and  hor- 
ror.' " 


Economical  Aspect. 

In  the  United  States  about  800,000  acres  are  ap- 
propriated to  the  cultivation  of  tobacco.  Its  produc- 
tion has  increased  in  this  country  enormously. 

There  were  made  in  the  year  ending  Sixth  Month 
3rd,  1892,  4,548,797,417  cigars,  cheroots,  and  heavy 
cigarettes  ;  and  2,892,982,840  light  cigarettes.  There 
were  11,164,351  pounds  of  snuff,  and  252,962,139 
pounds  of  chewing  and  smoking  tobacco.  The 
amount  expended  annually  in  the  United  States  for 
tobacco,  is  $600,000,000. 

B.  W.  Chase  says  that  in  the  United  States  more 
money  is  spent  for  cigars  than  for  the  education  of 
the  children  in  all  its  common  schools.  Another 


■v 


INJURIOUS    EFFECTS    OF    TOBACCO.  11 


writer  asserts  that  in  England,  France,  Germany, 
Holland,  and  the  United  States,  more  money  is 
spent  for  tobacco  than  for  bread. 

What  is  received  in  return  for  this  enormous  ex- 
penditure ?  The  answer  is :  Impoverished  land ;  a 
waste  of  money  that*  in  many  cases  deprives  families 
of  various  comforts  and  reasonable  enjoyments;  in- 
jured health  ;  impaired  mental  stamina;  and  lastly, 
the  formation  of  a  disgusting  habit,  which  many  of 
its  victims  admit  that  they  find  it  more  difficult  to 
break  than  their  habit  of  drinking  alcoholic  liquors. 


Concluding  Reflections. 

The  questions  naturally  arise,  Why  is  it,  then,  that 
tobacco  is  raised  and  sold  ?  And  why  do  people  use 
it  ?  To  the  first  question  the  reply  is  manifestly, 
that  money-getting  lies  at  the  bottom  and  is  the  only 
motive.  To  the  last,  that  the  habit  is  nearly  always 
acquired  early  in  life.  Sir  Benjamin  Brodie  says : 
— "  Boys  get  the  habit  of  smoking,  because  they 
think  it  fashionable  to  do  so — not  unfrequently  be- 
cause they  have  the  example  set  them  by  their  tutors, 
and  partly  because  there  is  no  friendly  voice  to  warn 
them  as  to  the  special  ill  consequences  to  which  it 
may  give  rise,  when  the  process  of  growth  is  not  yet 
completed." 

Our  efforts  at  reform,  then,  should  be  directed  to 
the  boys  and  young  men,  to  endeavor  to  convince 
them  of  the  wisdom  of  never  tasting  tobacco.  It  is 
much  easier  to  avoid  a  wound  which  we  go  out  of 


12         INJURIOUS    EFFECTS    OF  TOBACCO. 

our  way  and  run  the  risk  of  receiving,  than  it  is  to 
heal  one  after  it  is  made ;  and  therefore  strict  absti- 
nence should  be  our  watchword.  A  word  to  those 
who  have  already  commenced  and  who  find  the 
appetite  so  strong  as  to  thwart  the  desire  to  restrain 
it.  Although  it  may  cost  much  suffering  to  give  it 
up,  Dr.  Kirkbride,  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital  for 
the  Insane,  said  he  never  saw  the  slightest  injury 
from  the  immediate  and  total  breaking  off  of  the 
habit  of  using  tobacco,  and  the  experience  of  the 
hospital  is  a  large  one  in  this  particular.  There  is  a 
Source  of  help  and  of  strength  which  will  enable  all 
who  seek  it  with  sincerity  and  earnestness  to  over- 
come that  which  is  wrong  and  hurtful.  Pray  to  thy 
Father  in  heaven  to  give  thee  this  help  and  this 
strength.  And  He  who  asks  us  to  seek  his  face,  will 
fulfil  his  promise,  as  He  has  done  to  thousands,  and 
make  us  more  than  conquerors  through  Him  who 
loved  us  and  who  gave  himself  for  us. 


No.  138. 

Heathen  Names 

For  Days  and  Months. 


THE  children  of  Israel  were  commanded  to  abstain 
from  the  idolatrous  practices  of  the  nations  among 
whom  they  dwelt,  and  the  Society  of  Friends  believed 
themselves  called  upon  to  adhere  to  the  simplicity  of 
truth,  in  calling  the  months  and  days  of  the  week 
by  Scriptural  names,  and  not  by  those  of  the  heathen. 

Other  Christian  professors  besides  Friends  have  felt 
similarly  on  this  subject.  Richard  Baxter  says  :  "It 
were,  to  be  wished  that  the  custom  were  changed, 
of  using  the  names  of  week-days  which  idolaters  hon- 
ored their  idols  with — as  Saturday,  Sunday,  Monday, 
and  the  rest.    And  so  of  the  months." 

Were  it  proposed  in  this  enlightened  day  again  to 
change  the  names  of  the  months,  in  order  that  some 
Asiatic  idols  or  supposed  deities  should  be  honored 
thereby,  because  many  thousands  or  millions  of  de- 
luded devotees  assigned  the  respective  months  to  their 
adoration ;  and  if  for  similar  reasons,  the  days  of  the 
week  were  to  be  called  by  the  names  of  the  objects  of 
the  adjurations  of  the  African  fetich  worshippers,  the 
Christian  world  would  no  doubt  turn  with  abhorrence 
from  the  proposal. 

The  principle  which  would  discard  thus  honoring 
any  alleged  deity  at  this  time,  is  a  sufficient  reason 

1 


2 


HEATHEN  NAMES 


for  avoiding  the  recognition  of  a  similar  honor  that 
originated  in  idolatry  of  more  ancient  times. 

Friends  discontinued  the  use  of  the  terms,  Septem- 
ber, October,  November,  and  December,  not  from  any 
objection  to  the  terms  themselves,  but  because  their 
respective  meanings — Seventh,  Eighth;  Ninth,  and 
Tenth  months — are  no  longer  available  for  truthfully 
indicating  the  ninth,  tenth,  eleventh,  and  twelfth 
months  of  the  year. 

The  origin  of  the  names  of  the  months  and  days 
may  be  briefly  stated  as  follows : 

January  was  called  from  Janus,  an  imaginary  deity 
of  the  ancient  Romans,  to  whom  they  erected  a  tem- 
ple and  dedicated  this  month  to  his  worship. 

February  was  so  called  from  Februalis,  an  epithet  of 
Juno, an  ancient  Italian  divinity,  to  whom  this  month 
was  sacred.  Or  from  certain  sacrifices,  called  Februa, 
performed  during  the  month  in  worship  of  her,  that 
were  supposed  to  conduce  to  the  cleansing  of  the 
people. 

March  derived  its  name  from  Mars,  feigned  to  be 
the  god  of  war,  whom  Romulus,  founder  of  the  Roman 
empire,  pretended  to  be  his  father. 

May  is  said  to  have  been  so  called  from  Maia,  a 
goddess  of  the  Romans,  who  named  this  month  in  her 
honor. 

June,  believed  to  have  originally  been  called  Juno- 
nis,  takes  its  name  from  Juno,  one  of  the  supposed 
goddesses  of  the  heathen  Romans. 

July,  so  called  from  Julius  Csesar,  who  gave  his 
own  name  to  the  month,  which  was  before  called 
Quintilis,  or  the  Fifth. 

August,  so  named  in  honor  of  Augustus  Caesar, 
another  of  the  Roman  emperors.  This  month  had 
been  previously  known  by  the  name  of  Sextilis,  or 
the  Sixth. 


FOR   DAYS  AND  MONTHS 


8 


The  four  months  called  September,  October,  Novem- 
ber, and  December  still  retain  their  numerical  Latin 
names,  which,  since  the  change  of  the  calendar  in  the 
year  1752,  are  incorrect  designations.  From  the  prac- 
tice of  the  Jews  before  the  Babylonian  captivity,  it 
seems  highly  probable  that  the  method  of  distinguish- 
ing the  months  by  their  numerical  order  only  wras 
used,  which  is  plain,  simple,  and  rational,  and  is  always 
found  in  use  in  the  early  Scriptures. 

This  latter  consideration  also  applies  to  calling  the 
fourth  month  April,  a  name  derived  from  Aperio, 
signifying  "  to  open,"  referring  to  the  opening  of  the 
buds  in  that  season. 

As  the  idolatrous  Romans  thus  gave  names  to  sev- 
eral of  the  months  in  honor  of  their  pretended  deities 
and  deitied  emperors,  so  the  like  idolatry  prevailing 
among  our  Saxon  ancestors  induced  them  to  call  the 
days  of  the  week  by  the  name  of  the  idol  which  on 
that  day  they  particularly  worshipped.  Hence 

The  First  day  of  the  wreek  was  by  them  called  Sun- 
day, from  their  accustomed  adoration  of  the  Sun  on 
that  day. 

The  Second  day  of  the  week  they  called  Monday, 
from  their  usual  custom  of  worshipping  the  Moon  on 
that  day. 

The  Third  day  of  the  week  they  called  Tuesday,  in 
honor  of  one  of  their  idols  called  Tuisco. 

The  Fourth  day  of  the  week  they  called  Wednes- 
day, from  the  appellation  of  Woden,  another  of  their 
idols. 

The  Fifth  day  of  the  week  was  called  Thursday, 
from  the  name  of  their  fabulous  god  of  thunder,  Thor, 
to  whom  they  paid  their  devotions  upon  that  day. 

The  Sixth  day  of  the  week  was  termed  Friday, 
from  the  name  of  Freyia,  an  imaginary  goddess.  The 
change  from  f'reyia's  day  to  Friday  would  easily  occur. 


4 


HEATHEN  NAMES  FOR  DAYS  AND  MONTHS. 


The  Seventh  day  they  styled  Saturday,  as  is  sup- 
posed from  Saturn,  or  Seater,  by  them  then  worshipped. 

Nevertheless  it  may  be  observed  that  in  astronomi- 
cal treatises,  names  of  the  same  and  other  heathen 
gods  are  used,  as  applied  to  the  planets,  to  wit :  Mars, 
Mercury,  Venus,  Jupiter,  Saturn,  Neptune ;  and  that 
generally  among  Friends  such  names  and  their  deriv- 
atives are  employed  without  scruple,  as,  saturnine, 
jovial,  mercurial,  martial,  cereal,  etc.  There  is  a  dif- 
ference, in  point  of  Christian  principle,  between  the 
use  of  these  terms  as  mere  names,  and  the  verbal  ac- 
knowledgment of  a  time  or  season  as  consecrated  to 
the  worship  of  a  heathen  deity,  or  to  the  adoration  of 
a  mortal. 

No  doubt  the  larger  part  of  professing  Christians 
adopt  the  use  of  these  names  without  knowing  of 
their  standing  as  relics  and  nominal  recognitions  of 
heathen  worship ;  and  others,  though  using  them, 
claim  that  they  are  not  responsible  for  the  origin  of 
terms  which  they  may  adopt  from  common  usage,  in- 
asmuch as  present  "  usage  is  the  law  of  language.' 
Usage,  in  a  general  way,  is  a  law  for  the  received 
meaning  of  language,  but  can  never  be  a  law  for  its 
morality.  No  amount  of  usage  can  make  that  which 
is  wrong  in  principle, right.  The  daily  and  monthly 
naming,  as  it  were,  of  a  time  to  worship  even  an  obso- 
lete idol,  is  a  form  which  doubtless  many  a  Christian 
feels  somehow  to  be  inconsistent  with  a  Christian  pro- 
fession, and  would  feel  easier  to  be  relieved  of.  By 
faithfulness  in  all  such  particulars  to  the  Witness  for 
Truth  in  the  secret  of  his  heart,  he  would  realize  an 
increasing  advancement  of  his  growth  "  in  grace  and  in 
the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ." 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends.  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a. 


No.  139. 

OONVINCEMENT 

ASD 

GOSPEL  LABORS 


OF 

Stephen  Gbellet. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1884. 


CONVINCEMENT  AND  GOSPEL  LABORS 
OF  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 


HOW  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him 
that  bringeth  good  tidings,  that  publisheth  peace;  that 
publisheth  salvation  ;  that  saitli  unto  Zioii,  "Thy  God  reign- 
eth ! " 

Stephen  Grellet  Avas  born  in  France,  in  1773;  his  parents 
were  wealthy,  and  ranked  high  among  the  nobility.  In  re- 
ligious profession  the  family  of  Grellet  were  Roman  Catholics. 
While  some  of  his  generation  had  chosen  secular  pursuits, 
there  were  others  who,  in  accordance  with  the  system  of 
their  church,  had  quitted  the  blandishments  of  the  world 
for  the  seclusion  of  the  convent. 

Thus  was  his  childhood  cast  anion?  the  conflicting  influ- 
ences  of  rank  and  wealth  and  the  luxuries  of  life,  on  the 
one  hand,  and  on  the  other  of  the  quiet  and  mysterious 
example  of  a  voluntary  withdrawal  from  the  external  world 
and  its  attractions.  His  parents  were  desirous  to  give  their 
children  such  an  education  as  should  make  them  accom- 
plished in  the  eyes  of  the  world  ;  but,  though  trained  in  the 
precepts  of  a  high-toned  morality,  they  received  little  direct 
religious  instruction.  The  simple  truths  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures were  not  the  food  of  their  early  childhood.  The  prin- 
ciples of  the  doctrine  of  Christ  were  not  taught  them,  and 
they  had  scarcely  "so  much  as  heard  whether  there  be  any 
Holy  Ghost."  A  quick  susceptibility  to  religious  impres- 
sions seems,  nevertheless,  to  have  marked  his  youthful  days, 
and  early  indications  of  the  work  of  Divine  grace  upon  his 
heart  were  not  wanting. 


CONVINCED  E  N  T    AND    GOSPEL    LABORS,  K  T  C  .  S 
• 

When  quite  a  child,  his  thoughts  on  the  omnipotence  of 
the  Divine  Being,  the  creator  of  all  things,  so  deeply  affected 
him  that  he  never  afterward  lost  the  recollection  of*  it.  At 
the  early  age  of  six,  the  efficacy  of  prayer  to  an  omnipresent 
and  omniscient  God  was  remarkably  confirmed  to  him.  His 
juvenile  powers  had  been  overtasked  by  a  long  Latin  exer- 
cise; he  was  quite  disheartened.  Alone,  in  his  chamber,  he 
looked  abroad  upon  the  glories  of  the  external  world,  and 
remembered  that  it  was  God  who  had  created  them  all.  The 
thought  arose  "cannot  the  same  God  give  me  memory  also?" 
He  knelt  down  at  the  foot  of  his  bed  and  poured  out  his 
soul  in  prayer  to  the  Lord.  His  petition  was  immediately 
answered.  On  reperusing  his  lesson,  he  found  himself 
master  of  it,  and  henceforward  he  was  able  to  acquire 
learning  with  increased  facility.  Even  in  old  age,  he  could 
look  back  to  "  happy  days,"  when  his  youthful  heart  was 
contrited,  and  remember  "with  grateful  emotion"  places  in 
his  lather's  house  where,  "  on  his  knees,  with  his  eyes  flow- 
ing with  tears,  he  had  poured  forth  his  supplication  unto 
God."  To  be  permitted  thus  to  look  up  to  God,  to  call  Him 
Father,  and  to  consider  himself  as  his  child,  filled  his  young 
soul  with  the  tenderness  of  reverential  awe.  But  in  a  re- 
ligious point  of  view,  his  external  advantages  were  at  this 
time  very  few.  u  I  had  none,"  he  remarks,  "  to  instruct 
me,  none  to  whom  I  thought  of  unfolding  my  heart  My 
proneness  to  vanity  soon  dissipated  all  serious  thoughts,  my 
fondness  for  play  gained  the  ascendancy,  till  the  Divine 
visitation  was  renewed." 

"As  we  were  educated,"  he  remarks,  "  by  Roman  Catho- 
lics, and  in  their  principles,  we  were  required  to  confess  once 
every  month.  I  had  chosen  for  my  confessor  one  whom  I 
thought  to  be  a  pious  and  conscientious  man  ;  and,  as  I  could 
not  understand  how  it  was  possible  for  a  man  to  forgive  my 
sins,  I  asked  him  what  he  could  say  to  satisfy  my  mind  on 
this  point,  for  T  considered  that  God  alone  could  forgive  sins 


4        C ONVINOEME N T    AND   GOSPEL  LABORS 

— a  doctrine  which  I,  however,  had  never  heard  of.  He, 
seeing  farther  than  many  other  priests,  told  me  that  he  con- 
sidered himself  invested  with  such  authority,  only  so  far  as 
that,  if  I  was  sincere  and  truly  penitent  in  the  sight  of  God, 
he  was  the  instrument  through  whom  information  was  given 
me  that  my  sins  were  forgiven.  From  my  earliest  days, 
there  was  that  in  me  which  would  not  allow  me  implicitly 
to  believe  the  various  doctrines  I  was  taught.  Though  I 
was  told  that  they  were  mysteries  which  I  was  not  to  seek 
to  see  into,  yet  my  reasoning  faculties  brought  me  to  the 
root  of  the  matter — from  created  objects  to  the  Creator — 
from  time  to  eternity.'' 

Christ  Jesus,  the  great  teacher  of  his  people,  still  teaches 
as  never  man  taught  or  can  teach,  and  He  is  pleased 
at  times  to  instruct  his  teachable  children  in  a  marvellous 
manner.  Thus,  as  in  a  vision,  he  records :  "  I  thought 
I  saw  a  large  company  of  persons,  or  rather  purified 
spirits,  on  one  of  those  floating  vessels  which  they  have 
at  Lyons,  on  the  Rhone,  occupied  by  washermen.  They 
were  washing  linen.  I  wondered  to  see  what  beating  and 
pounding  there  was  upon  it,  but  how  beautifully  white  it 
came  out  of  their  hands.  I  was  told  I  could  not  enter  God's 
kingdom  until  I  underwent  such  an  operation ;  that  unless 
I  was  thus  washed  and  made  white,  I  could  have  no  part  in 
the  dear  Son  of  God.  For  weeks  I  was  absorbed  in  the 
consideration  of  the  subject — the  washing  of  regeneration. 
I  had  never  heard  of  such  things  before,  and  I  greatly  won- 
dered that,  having  been  baptized  with  water,  and  having 
also  received  what  they  call  the  sacrament  of  confirmation, 
I  should  have  to  pass  through  such  a  purification  ;  for  I  had 
never  read  or  heard  any  one  speak  of  such  a  baptism." 
When,  some  years  before,  he  had  received  confirmation,  as 
it  is  called,  he  tells  us  that,  contrary  to  what  he  had  been 
led  to  expect,  after  the  bishop  had  performed  the  ceremony, 
he  found  his  heart  not  at  all  changed  ;  that  his  sense  of  sin 


0  F   S T E P H E N    GRELLE T  . 


5 


still  remained ;  that  his  propensities  to  evil  were  that  very 
flay  as  strong  as  ever ;  and  thus,  he  adds,  "  at  a  very  early 
age,  I  learned  that  neither  priests  nor  bishops  could  do  the 
work  for  me." 

Nearly  allied  to  the  nobility,  the  parent.-  of  Stephen 
Grellet  shared  their  reverses,  during  the  great  revolutionary 
struggle  which  now  swept  over  France.  Their  estates  were 
confiscated,  and  they  were  thrown  into  prison  and  had  a  very 
narrow  escape  of  their  lives.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
revolution  in  1791,  the  inhabitants  of  the  kingdom  gener- 
ally took  up  arms,  the  nobility  in  general  were  retiring  from 
France  into  Germany  to  join  the  standard  of  the  French 
princes.  It  was  concluded  that  Stephen  and  some  of  his 
brothers  should  join  them.  "  I  left  my  dear  father's  house," 
he  says,  "and  bid  him,  as  it  proved,  a  lasting  farewell.  I 
shudder,"  he  continues,  "  when  I  remember  the  state  of 
insensibility  I  was  in.  I  was  not  the  least  moved  when  sur- 
rounded by  people  and  soldiers,  who  lavished  their  abuses 
upon  us,  aud  threatened  to  hang  me  to  the  lamp-post.  I 
coolly  stood  by,  my  hands  in  my  pockets — being  provided 
with  three  pairs  of  pistols,  two  of  which  were  double-bar- 
relled. I  concluded  to  wait  and  see  what  they  would  do, 
and  resolved,  after  destroying  as  many  of  them  as  I  could, 
to  take  my  own  life  with  the  last.  No  thought  of  eternity 
was  then  before  me — no  sense  or  remembrance  that  there  is 
a  God."  He  was,  however,  mercifully  preserved,  and  no 
violent  hands  were  laid  upon  him.  u  I  was  preserved,"  he 
says,  u  from  those  gross  evils  that  are  too  generally  attendant 
on  an  army.  But,  oh  !  the  height  of  my  infatuation,  I  at- 
tributed my  preservation  to  my  own  reasoning  powers ;  but 
Divine  light  would,  nevertheless,  at  seasons,  pierce  into  the 
inmost  recesses  of  my  benighted  heart.  Our  army  entered 
into  France  the  forepart  of  the  summer  of  1792,  accom- 
panied by  the  Austrians  and  Prussians  I  was  in  the  king's 
horse-guards,  which  consisted  mostly  of  the  nobility.  AVe 
1* 


6        CONVINCE M EN T    AND    GOSPEL  LABORS 

endured  great  hardships,  for  many  weeks  sleeping  on  the 
bare  ground  in  the  open  air,  and  were  sometimes  in  want  of 
provisions;  but  that  word  honor  so  inflamed  us,  that  I  marvel 
how  contentedly  we  bore  our  privations.  And  what  was  it  all 
for  ?  To  contend  for  an  earthly  crown  ;  to  satisfy  our  vain 
and  proud  minds."  Towards  the  approach  of  winter,  owing 
to  various  political  changes,  the  Princes'  army  was  dis- 
banded. Stephen  Grellet  and  his  brother  being  taken  pris- 
oners of  war,  were  ordered  to  be  shot.  The  completion  of 
which  sentence  was  each  moment  expected,  when  some  sudden 
commotion  gave  them  an  opportunity  to  escape,  and  they 
eventually  found  their  way  on  board  a  ship  bound  to  the 
West  Indies,  after  a  series  of  Providential  deliverances,  at 
one  time  actually  brushing  against  soldiers  who,  with  fierce 
profanity,  were  declaring  their  bloody  intentions  respecting 
them. 

Through  the  kindness  of  a  republican  general  they  ob- 
tained a  passage  on  board  a  ship  bound  for  Demerara,  where 
they  arrived  in  1793.  "The  state  of  society  there  was  de- 
plorable," he  remarks.  "  I  do  not  recollect,  during  the  whole 
time  I  was  there,  that  I  saw  anything,  in  any  one,  that 
indicated  a  feeling  of  religious  sensibility.  There  was  no 
place  of  worship ;  no  priest  of  any  kind,  except  one  who 
had  been  there  a  few  years,  who  was  a  dissolute,  drunken 
man.  It  was  of  the  Lord's  mercy  that  I  and  the  whole 
land  were  not  destroyed  like  Sodom.  At  that  time  the 
prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  who  rules  in  the  hearts  of 
the  children  of  disobedience,  had  obtained  such  a  victory 
over  me  that  I  had  become  one  of  the  number  of  those 
infatuated  ones  who  call  good  evil,  and  evil  good  ;  darkness, 
light,  and  light,  darkness ;  to  so  daring  a  pitch  as  to  say 
'  There  is  no  GodV  I  not  only  thought  that  there*  was 
no  God,  and  consequently  no  religion ;  that  all  the  profes- 
sion of  it  was  but  priestcraft,  invention,  and  deceit;  but, 
so  plausibly,  that  I  thought  I  saw  a  way  to  steer  my  own 


OF    STEPHEN    G REE LET. 


7 


course.  I  had  become  a  complete  disciple  of  Voltaire  and 
writers  of  that  class.  How  low,  how  degraded  did  I  see 
man  to  be!  And  yet  I  could  dare  to  think  I  had  reached 
that  state  of  philosophy  and  correctness  of  reasoning  that 
would  enable  me  to  rise  from  that  sink  of  corruption  and 
live  a  virtuous  life  :  even  concluding  that  it  was  this  that 
preserved  me  from  giving  way  to  many  of  the  vices,  which 
flowed  like  a  torrent  about  me.  This  was  my  situation 
when  the  Lord  himself  interfered  to  release  me  from  that 
land,  and  to  open  a  way  for  my  emancipation  from  a  bond- 
age, far  more  to  be  dreaded  than  that  of  the  poor  slaves 
whom  I  commiserated. 

"  In  the  spring  of  1795,  there  was  a  report  that  a  French 
fleet  was  coming  to  take  possession  of  the  colony.  The  con- 
sequence of  falling  into  their  hands,  and  the  fear  of  seeing 
the  same  cruelties  there  that  were  committed  in  France, 
induced  my  brother  and  myself  to  leave  the  country  imme- 
diately. An  American  vessel  being  about  to  sail  we  took 
passage,  and  after  many  perils  arrived  safelv  in  the  city  of 
New  York." 

It  was  a  maxim  given  them  by  their  father,  always  to 
choose  the  company  of  their  seniors  in  age  and  their  supe- 
riors in  rank  and  abilities.  This  led  them  to  visit  at  the 
house  of  Colonel  Corsa,  whose  wife  was  a  Franklin.  They 
were  people  of  standing  in  the  world,  and  the  Colonel  had 
served  in  the  British  army.  He  had  a  daughter  who  spoke 
French,  and,  the  brothers  being  entirely  unacquainted  with 
the  English  language,  this  was  a  great  inducement  to  culti- 
vate intercourse  with  that  family.  One  day  the  conversation 
turned  upon  William  Penn,  the  daughter  skiving  she  had  his 
works.  Stephen  had  heard  of  him  as  a  statesman  and  poli- 
tician. He  took  the  large  folio  volume,  and,  with  the  help 
of  a  dictionary,  began  to  translate  it. 

Through  the  influences  of  surrounding  circumstances,  the 
serious  impressions  which  marked  some  of  his  early  days 


8        CON VINCEM ENT    AND   GO'SPEL  LABORS 


had  given  place  to  skeptical  opinions,  and  he  was  now,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two,  a  professed  unbeliever.  But  an  impor- 
tant crisis  was  at  hand.  Through  one  of  those  remarkable 
interpositions  which,  for  special  purposes,  sometimes  dis- 
tinguish the  exercise  of  the  Divine  sovereignty,  and  the 
direct  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  thick  veil  of  dark- 
ness was  removed,  the  evil  heart  of  unbelief  was  taken  away, 
the  faith  and  hope  of  the  gospel  dawned  on  the  soul,  and 
the  objects  and  pursuits  of  life  were  completely  and  perma- 
nently changed.  His  own  words  will  best  describe  the  sim- 
ple facts  connected  with  this  great  turning-point  of  his  life. 

"  Through  adorable  mercy,  the  visitation  of  the  Lord  was 
now  again  extended  towards  me,  by  the  immediate  openings 
of  the  Divine  light  on  my  soul.  One  evening,  as  I  was 
walking  in  the  fields,  alone,  my  mind  being  under  no  kind 
of  religious  concern,  nor  in  the  least  excited  by  anything  I 
had  heard  or  thought  of,  I  was  suddenly  arrested  by  what 
seemed  to  be  an  awful  voice  proclaiming  the  words,  ( Eter- 
nity !  Eternity  !  Eternity  ! '  It  reached  my  very  soul — my 
whole  man  shook ;  it  brought  me  like  Saul  to  the  ground. 
The  great  depravity  and  sinfulness  of  my  heart  were  set 
open  before  me,  and  the  gulf  of  everlasting  destruction  to 
which  I  was  verging.  I  was  made  bitterly  to  cry  out,  '  If 
there  is  no  God,  doubtless  there  is  a  hell ! '  I  found  myself 
as  in  the  midst  of  it.  For  a  long  time  it  seemed  as  if  the 
thundering  proclamation  was  yet  heard. 

"  After  that  I  remained  almost  whole  days  and  nights 
exercised  in  prayer,  that  the  Lord  would  have  mercy  upon 
me,  expecting  that  He  would  give  me  some  evidence  that 
He  heard  my  supplication.  But  for  this  I  was  looking  for 
some  outward  manifestation,  my  expectation  being  entirely 
of  that  nature. 

"  I  now  took  up  again  the  works  of  William  Penn, 
and  opened  upon  i  No  Cross,  No  Crown/  The  title  alone 
reached  to  my  heart.    I  proceeded  to  read  it,  with  the  help 


OF   STEPHEN  GRELLET. 


trf  my  dictionary,  having  to  look  for  the  meaning  of  nearly 
every  word.  I  read  it  twice  through  in  this  manner.  1  had 
never  met  with  anything  of  the  kind,  neither  had  I  felt 
the  Divine  witness  in  me  operating  so  powerfully  before. 

"  I  now  withdrew  from  company,  and  spent  most  of  my 
time  in  retirement  and  in  waiting  upon  God.  I  began  to 
read  the  Bible.  I  was  much  of  a  stranger  to  the  inspired 
records.  I  had  not  even  seen  them  before,  that  I  remem- 
ber. What  I  had  heard  of  any  part  of  their  contents  was 
only  detached  portions  in  prayer-books. 

"  Whilst  the  fallow-ground  of  my  heart  was  thus  prepar- 
ing, my  brother  and  myself,  being  one  day  at  Colonel  Corsa's, 
heard  that  a  meeting  for  divine  worship  was  appointed  by 
two  English  women,  to  which  we  were  invited.  We  felt 
inclined  to  go.  The  Friends  were  Deborah  Darby  and 
Rebecca  Young.  The  sight  of  them  brought  solemn  feel- 
ings over  me ;  but  I  soon  forgot  the  servants  and  all  things 
around  me ;  for,  in  an  inward  silent  frame  of  mind,  seek- 
ing for  the  Divine  Presence,  I  was  favored  to  find  in  me 
what  I  had  so  long  and  with  so  many  tears  sought  for 
without  me.  A  secret  joy  filled  me,  in  that  I  had  found 
Him  after  whom  my  soul  had  longed.  I  did  not  under- 
stand much  of  what  was  said,  but  I  was  gathered  in  the 
temple  of  my  heart  before  God.  Thus  had  the  Lord 
opened  my  heart  to  seek  Him  where  He  is  to  be  found. 
AVe  were  invited  to  dine  with  the  Friends,  and  in  a  relig- 
ious opportunity  after  dinner,  as  Deborah  Darby  began  to 
address  us,  it  seemed  as  if  the  Lord  opened  my  outward 
ear  and  my  heart.  Her  words  partook  of  the  efficacy  of 
that  i  word '  which  is  i  quick  and  powerful,  and  sharper 
than  any  two-edged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the  dividing 
asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  and  is  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts 
and  intents  of  the  heart/  She  seemed  like  one  reading  the 
pages  of  my  heart,  with  clearness  describing  how  it  had 
been  and  how  it  was  with  me.    My  heart  was  opened ;  I 


10      CONVINCE  ME  NT   AND   GOSPEL  LABORS 

felt  the  power  of  Him  who  hath  the  key  of  David.  No 
strength  to  withstand  the  Divine  visitation  was  left  in  me. 
O  what  sweetness  did  I  then  feel !  I  was  like  one  intro- 
duced into  a  new  world ;  the  creation  and  all  things  around 
me  bore  a  different  aspect ;  my  heart  glowed  with  love  to 
all.  The  awfulness  of  that  day  of  God's  visitation  can 
never  cease  to  be  remembered  with  peculiar  interest  and 
gratitude  as  long  as  I  have  the  use  of  my  mental  faculties." 

After  this  he  says:  "I  continued  diligently  to  attend 
meetings,  which  were  held  in  silence.  Very  few  persons 
assembled  there,  and  I  had  no  communication  with  them  at 
all  for  some  time.  I  have  frequently  considered  since  that 
it  was  a  favor  that  my  lot  was  cast  in  a  place  where  I  had 
no  outward  dependence  to  lean  upon.  In  religious  meetings, 
as  well  as  out  of  them,  my  single  concern  was  to  feel  after 
the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  my  own  heart.  As  my 
acquaintances  with  these  increased,  so  did  my  exercises. 
My  heart  was  fitly  compared  to  the  ground  covered  with 
thorns  and  briars,  and  even  sturdy  oaks  and  tall  cedars.  Oh, 
how  many  things  had  to  be  removed  out  of  the  way  to  give 
room  for  the  heavenly  seed  to  grow !  The  axe  of  God's 
power  was  lifted  up  against  the  root  of  the  corrupt  tree. 
As  wave  follows  wave  so  did  my  exercises." 

Thus  Ave  see  that,  notwithstanding  his  having  yielded  to 
the  convicting  power  of  the  wonderful  visitation  of  Divine 
love  and  mercy  which  had  been  extended  to  him,  Stephen 
Grellet  had  to  pass  through  deep  conflicts  and  baptisms, 
before  he  could  fully  experience  the  house  of  David  to  be 
established  in  his  heart  over  the  house  of  Saul.  But  as 
obedience  kept  pace  with  the  knowledge  imparted,  he  was 
favored  to  experience  the  work  of  conversion  and  of  sancti- 
fication  to  progress.    He  continues : 

"  The  nearer  I  was  favored  to  approach  to  Him  k  who 
dwelleth  in  the  light/  the  more  I  saw  my  uncleanness  and 
my  wretchedness.    But  how  can  I  set  forth  the  fulness  of 


OF   STEPHEN  GRELLET. 


11 


heavenly  joy  that  filled  me,  when  the  hope  was  again 
raised  that  there  was  One,  even  He  whom  I  had  pierced, 
Jesus  Christ  the  Redeemer,  that  was  able  to  save  me?  I 
saw  Him  to  be  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins 
of  the  world ;  who  was  delivered  for  our  offences  and  raised 
again  for  our  justification  ;  who  is  our  propitiatory  sacrifice, 
our  advocate  with  the  Father,  our  intercessor  with  God. 
I  felt  faith  in  his  atoning  blood  quickening  my  soul,  giving 
me  to  believe  that  it  was  He  who  could  wash  me  from  my 
many  pollutions,  and  deliver  me  from  death  and  destruc- 
tion, which  I  felt  to  be  my  just  desert,  for  my  many  sins 
and  transgressions. 

"On  my  earnest  petition  being  put  up  to  Him,  the  lan- 
guage was  proclaimed,  'Thy  sins  are  forgiven:  thy  iniqui- 
ties are  pardoned/  Floods  of  tears  of  joy  and  gratitude 
gave  vent  to  the  fulness  of  my  heart ! 

"  Then  I  thought  I  heard  again  a  sweet  language  saving, 
'Proclaim  unto  others  what  the  Lord  has  done  for  thy  soul.'" 

The  "  disciple  of  Voltaire  "  now  stands  before  us  as  the 
practical  Christian  —  the  humble  believer  in  Jesus,  the 
Emanuel,  the  Lord  our  righteousness,  "  that  liveth  and  was 
dead,  and  is  alive  for  evermore."  It  was  a  beautiful  illus- 
tration of  the  saying  of  our  blessed  Lord,  "  when  He,  the 
Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  He  will  guide  you  into  all  truth ; 
He  shall  glorify  me;  for  He  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall 
show  it  unto  you."  He  "  who  commanded  the  light  to 
shine  out  of  darkness  "  had  shined  in  his  heart,  to  give  him 
"  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ."  He  was  as  one  "  alive  from  the 
dead,"  and  his  Christian  walk  bore  evidence  that  "  the  life 
which  he  now  lived  in  the  flesh  was  by  the  faith  of  the 
Son  of  God." 

"  Being  convinced,"  he  says,  "of  the  propriety  of  the 
plain  language,  I  took  up  my  cross  in  that  also.  But  I 
was  under  the  necessity  with  plainness  and  simplicity  to 


12      CONVINCE M  IS  NT    AND   GOSPEL  LABORS 


make  use  of  the  language  I  saw  to  be  my  duty,  leaving 
every  consequence  to  the  Lord.  Thus  becoming  resigned 
I  felt  sweet  peace,  and  this  exercise  tended  not  a  little  to 
strengthen  me  to  bear  the  various  ridicules,  railings,  and 
frowns  of  the  world  that  I  had  to  encounter.  Some  who 
before  had  courted  my  company  now  turned  away  ;  and 
this  became  a  blessing  to  me,  for  it  tended  quickly  to  make 
the  separation  greater  between  me  and  the  world." 

When  about  twenty-three  years  of  age  he  removed  to 
Philadelphia,  and  was  there  occupied  for  a  time  in  teaching 
the  French  language.  Here  he  remarks  :  "  My  mind  was, 
at  seasons,  so  taken  up  with  a  sense  of  the  Lord's  love,  that 
it  seemed  as  if  I  could  have  continued  days  and  nights 
swallowed  up  in  it.  Every  step  of  my  past  life  was  re- 
traced again  and  again.  I  suffered  deeply  not  only  for  the 
evil  I  had  done,  but  also  for  the  good  I  had  omitted  to  do. 
I  saw  the  emptiness  and  arrogance  of  Cain's  reply  to  the 
Almighty,  'Am  I  my  brother's  keeper?'  Deep,  there- 
fore, were  the  baptisms  necessary  to  bring  me  out  of  my 
fallen  state  to  that  holy  mountain  where  none  hurt  or 
destroy." 

A  year  had  not  passed  since  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was 
thus  effectually  laid  upon  him  when  He  who  had  "  called 
him  by  his  grace,"  was  pleased  so  remarkably  to  "  reveal 
his  Son  in  him,"  when  he  apprehended  it  required  of  him 
publicly  to  testify  of  the  Lord's  wondrous  works  and  mercy 
toward  him,  in  the  assemblies  of  the  people. 

He  tells  us :  "I  saw  my  unworthiness  to  engage  in  such 
a  solemn  service,  but  as  a  father  answereth  his  child,  so  the 
Lord  condescended  to  answer  all  my  pleadings  and  excuses ; 
to  give  me  also  a  sense  of  the  source  from  whence  all  power, 
strength,  and  ability  flow.  He  showed  me  how  He  is 
mouth,  wisdom,  and  utterance,  to  his  true  and  faithful  min- 
isters; that  it  is  from  Him  alone  they  are  to  receive  the 
subject  they  are  to  communicate  to  the  people,  and  also  the 


OF   STEPHEN    G REE LET. 


13 


when  and  the  hoic.  It  is  He  who  giveth  the  seeing  eye,  the 
hearing  ear,  the  understanding  heart.  Yet  I  could  not 
believe  that  such  a  poor  creature  as  I  was,  such  a  great 
sinner  as  I  had  been,  could  be  fit  to  engage  in  such  a  solemn 
work.  My  condemnation  was,  that  notwithstanding  re- 
peated evidences  of  the  Lord's  will  respecting  me,  I  should 
still  continue  to  be  of  a  doubtful  and  fearful  mind." 

It  was  in  the  First  month,  1796,  that  he  first  opened  his 
mouth  in  the  ministry.  He  became  a  member  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends  during  that  year.  During  the  following 
year  he  writes :  "  I  continued  in  much  retirement.  My 
indwelling  was  then  with  the  Lord,  in  his  presence,  at 
whose  school  I  learned,  and  in  whose  discipline  I  was 
closely  kept.  Yet  I  underwent  many  temptations;  for 
when  the  adversary  could  not  lift  me  up,  he  sought  to  cast 
me  down.  But  the  Lord  through  all  was  my  helper  and 
the  lifter  up  of  my  countenance,  the  li-"e  of  my  soul  and 
the  spring  of  my  thoughts.  My  inquiry  was  not  so  much 
whether  I  had  retired  from  the  world  to  wait  upon  God, 
as  whether  I  had  retired  from  God's  presence  to  harbor 
worldly  thoughts." 

In  the  summer  of  1798,  while  on  a  religious  visit  to  the 
inhabitants  of  western  New  Jersey,  the  yellow  fever  broke 
out  in  Philadelphia,  upon  which  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  return 
to  that  city,  in  which  he  says  :  "  I  went  for  some  time  visit- 
ing the  sick  and  dying,  and  assisting  to  bury  the  dead.  My 
feelings  were  much  awakened,  both  on  account  of  strangers 
and  Friends.  How  sweet  and  peaceful  was  the  close  of 
some,  so  that  I  could  have  joyfully  exchanged  my  situa- 
tion for  theirs ;  but  how  great  the  contrast  with  others ! 
Some  joyfully  and  smilingly  departed  in  the  fulness  of 
hope,  which  the  gospel  inspires ;  whereas  others  experienced 
the  agony  and  horrors  of  death,  throwing  their  arms  around 
me,  to  keep  hold  of  a  living  object,  crying  out,  in  bitter- 
2 


It      CONVINCE M EN T   AND   GOSPEL  LABORS 

ness,  I  cannot  die!  I  am  not  fit  to  die!  The  horror  of 
the  scene  is  yet  present  with  me. 

"  In  those  days  former  friends  were  deserted  ;  yea,  even 
the  wife  was  left  by  her  husband,  and  the  husband  became 
a  stranger  to  his  wife — seeking  their  safety  in  flight,  leaving 
their  sick  to  the  care  of  a  strange  nurse.  The  dead  were  in 
many  cases  conveyed  to  the  grave  with  no  other  conveyance 
than  the  hearse  and  driver.  Most  places  of  worship  were 
shut  up.  I  think  for  a  while  none  in  that  great  city  were 
left  open  but  the  meetings  of  Friends,  to  which  many  of 
the  sober  people,  who  could  leave  the  sick,  often  came,  and 
we  had  solemn  meetings,  for  the  Lord's  presence  and  power 
were  with  us. 

"  Having  been  engaged,  one  day,  in  providing  for  about 
ten  Lascars  (East  India  men)  discharged  from  a  ship,  and 
left  destitute,  without  friends,  in  a  deserted  city,  and  also 
with  some  of  my  dear  friends  who  were  ill  with  the  fever, 
as  I  was  in  my  chamber,  exercised  before  the  Lord  on 
account  of  the  sick,  some  of  whom  were  near  their  end, 
and  actually  dying  at  that  very  time,  about  eleven  at  night, 
just  as  I  had  laid  down,  my  spirits  being  gathered  in  the 
Lord's  presence,  I  felt  myself  seized  with  a  violent  pain  in 
my  back,  head,  and  bones,  accompanied  with  a  great  shak- 
ing, and  the  language  was  heard :  '  This  is  what  I  told  thee 
thou  must  prepare  for.'  My  soul  was  as  it  were  swallowed 
up  in  the  love  of  God,  and  perfectly  contented  in  the  will 
of  the  Lord,  though  I  did  not  see  the  end  of  this  dispen- 
sation. After  remaining  about  an  hour  in  that  state,  feeling 
my  strength  fast  declining,  and  being  alone  in  the  house,  I 
went  downstairs  to  unlock  the  front  door.  Had  I  deferred 
this  a  little  longer,  it  is  probable  that  I  should  not  have  had 
sufficient  strength  to  do  it,  for  it  was  with  difficulty  I  went 
upstairs  again. 

"  My  friend,  E.  G.,  not  seeing  me  the  next  day  at  the 
usual  time,  came  to  the  house.    He  soon  brought  me  a 


OF   STEPHEN  GRELLET. 


15 


physician  and  a  nurse.  The  former  paid  me  but  few  vis- 
its ;  for  he  took  the  fever,  and  died  five  days  after.  The 
disorder  so  increased  upon  me  that,  my  extremities  having 
become  cold,  my  coffin  was  ordered,  and  I  was  even  returned 
among  the  daily  deaths  to  the  Board  of  Health  as  a  French 
Quaker. 

"  During  the  whole  of  that  sickness  I  continued  entirely 
sensible,  and  while  death  seemed  to  be  approaching,  and  I 
turned  myself  on  one  side,  as  I  thought,  to  breathe  my  last, 
my  spirit  feeling  already  as  if  encircled  by  the  angelic  host 
in  the  Heavenly  Presence,  a  secret  but  powerful  language 
was  proclaimed  in  this  wise:  'Thou  shalt  not  die,  but  live 
— thy  work  is  not  yet  done.'  Then  the  corners  of  the  earth, 
over  seas  and  lands,  were  opened  to  me,  where  I  should 
have  to  labor  in  the  service  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Oh, 
what  amazement  I  was  filled  with !  What  a  solemn  and 
awful  prospect  was  set  before  me !  Sorrow  took  hold  of 
me  at  the  words ;  for  it  seemed  as  if  I  had  already  a  foot- 
hold in  the  heavenly  places.  I  wept  sore;  but,  as  it  was 
the  Divine  will,  I  bowed  in  reverence  before  Him,  inter- 
ceding that,  after  I  had,  by  his  assistance,  been  enabled  to 
do  the  work  He  had  for  me  to  do,  and  the  end  of  my  days 
in  this  probationary  state  fully  come,  I  might  be  permitted 
to  be  placed  in  the  same  state  in  which  I  then  was,  pass 
througli  the  valley  and  shadow  of  death  strengthened  by 
his  Divine  presence,  and  enter  finally  into  those  glorious 
mansions,  at  the  threshold  of  which  my  spirit  had  then 
come.    I  saw  and  felt  that  which  cannot  be  written. 

"  Suffice  it  to  say  that  from  that  very  time  the  disorder 
absided.  My  strength  by  degrees  returned,  and  in  a  very 
few  days  I  was  able  to  be  removed  to  my  kind  friends. 
Their  brother  was  then  ill  in  the  house,  and  died  a  few 
days  after.  I  was  able  to  minister  to  him  to  the  last. 
Soon  after  this,  five  of  that  family  were  taken  sick,  and 
for  a  while  some  of  them  were  so  ill  that,  o-oina*  from  one 


16      CONVINCE  M  EN  T   AND   GOSPEL  LABORS 

to  the  other,  I  liardly  knew  which  of  them  would  die  first. 
My  health  was  yet  very  slender,  yet  I  think  I  was  about  a 
week  without  undressing  to  go  to  bed.  For  a  part  of  this 
time  there  were  only  two  of  us  to  care  for  them ;  no  nurses 
could  be  obtained.  The  precious  seasons,  however,  which 
I  had  by  the  sick-beds  of  my  friends,  sitting  under  the 
canopy  of  the  Lord's  presence,  often  changed  these  scenes 
of  mourning  into  joy.  They  all  recovered,  and,  the  fever 
in  the  city  continuing,  I  resumed  my  visits  to  the  sick  and 
the  poor." 

From  this  time  Stephen  Grellet  was  fully  given  up  to 
the  service  of  his  Divine  Shepherd  and  Leader,  who  putteth 
forth  his  own  and  goeth  before,  for  they  know  his  voice  and 
follow  Him.  Thus  was  he  enabled  to  devote  the  remainder 
of  his  life  to  his  service  who  had  called  him  by  his  grace, 
and  done  exceeding  abundantly  for  him,  even  more  than  he 
could  ask  or  think.  In  addition  to  services  at  home  and 
through  many  States  in  America,  he  four  times  crossed  the 
Atlantic  to  visit  in  most  of  the  nations  of  Europe,  where- 
soever his  Master  guided  his  steps.  As  he  was  attentive  to 
keep  the  command  given  by  Christ  to  his  twelve  disciples 
while  on  earth  with  them — "  Behold  I  send  you  forth  as 
lambs  among  wolves  \  be  ye  therefore  wise  as  serpents  but 
harmless  as  doves" — so  he  returned  every  time  rejoicing,  as 
they  did,  that  through  the  name  of  Jesus  spirits  were  made 
subject,  and  hearts  and  houses  and  palaces  and  prisons  were 
opened  to  his  visits,  and  even  convents  and  the  doors  of  the 
Inquisition  in  Rome,  as  they  had  never  been  to  any  Prot- 
estant before.  Yet,  while  being  conducted  through  these, 
he  felt  very  sensible  that  the  Lord  fulfils  his  gracious 
promise  to  his  poor  servants — "  Verily  my  presence  shall 
go  with  thee." 

The  aggregate  time  occupied  in  his  European  journeys 
was  nearly  ten  years,  and  his  labors  were  extensive  and  his 
experience  remarkable.    Being  led  to  plead  as  an  ambassa- 


O  F   S  T  E  P  HEX    ( J  R  E  L  L  E  T  .  17 

dor  for  Christ  with  kings  and  rulers,  the  labor  was  blessed 
to  some  of  these  and  their  families,  as  well  as  to  many  in  more 
obscure  stations.  His  way  was  wonderfully  made  through 
dangers  and  difficulties ;  and  in  commemoration  of  the 
faithful  dealings  of  the  Most  High  with  those  who  forsake 
all  things  at  his  requiring,  a  few  instances  only  can  be  here 
noticed.  At  one  time  when,  unknown  to  himself,  he  was 
regarded  as  a  political  spy,  and  his  track  watched  by  the 
emissaries  of  a  jealous  monarchy,  he  felt  a  stop  in  his 
mind,  and,  by  close  attention  to  the  Hand  which  alone 
could  lead  him  in  safety,  his  feet,  without  apparent  motive, 
were  turned  into  an  unexpected  path,  and  thus  was  avoided 
a  pursuit  full  of  danger,  but  of  which  he  was  then  and  for 
many  years  ignorant.  On  another  occasion,  when  embark- 
ing on  shipboard  under  feelings  of  discouragement,  the 
language  of  the  inspeaking  Word  to  him  was,  "  Now  I  am 
going  to  magnify  my  name  before  thee."  The  sea  becom- 
ing very  tempestuous,  the  waves  exceeding  high  on  one  side 
while  on  the  other  was  a  deep  abyss,  he  felt  the  assurance 
to  be  realized  while  others  were  in  terror. 

During  the  wars  of  Napoleon,  Stephen  Grellet  was  often 
brought  into  perilous  proximity  with  the  soldiery ;  but 
being  never  ashamed  of  the  garb  and  manner  of  a  Friend, 
and  never  using  any  subterfuge,  he  was  respected  and 
allowed  to  pass  unmolested.  It  being  his  lot  to  travel  in 
the  rear  of  the  allied  army,  which  quartered  by  night  in 
the  towns  and  villages,  he  for  many  Aveeks  pursued  his 
journey  in  the  night,  holding  meetings  by  day  in  the 
towns  just  evacuated  by  the  soldiery.  The  people  in 
their  distressed  circumstances  were  glad  to  seek  for  conso- 
lation by  going  in  throngs  to  these  religious  assemblies.  A 
fearful  pestilence  attended  the  course  of  the  army,  and 
many  persons  to  whom  he  was  led  to  proclaim  the  way 
of  life  and  salvation  were  found  dead  on  the  following 
day  Thus  a  faithful  Creator,  in  the  midst  of  his  judg- 
2*  B 


18      CONVINCE  M  EN  T    AND    GOSPEL  LABORS 

merits  remembering  mercy,  extended  to  the  people,  in  their 
extremity,  the  messages  of  saving  love  and  grace,  and 
carried  his  messenger  in  safety  through  scene?  of  varied 
danger. 

It  was  his  practice  to  take  his  meals  at  the  hotels,  where 
he  frequently  met  with  the  military  officers,  and  he  found 
it  required  of  him  at  such  times  to  keep  on  his  hat.  This 
singularity  gave  rise  to  questions,  and  opened  his  Avay  to 
explain  to  them  the  objects  of  his  peaceable  mission  and 
the  views  of  the  Christian  Society  of  Friends  of  which  he 
was  a  member. 

In  various  parts  of  Europe  he  visited  the  convicts  in 
prison,  and  was  frequently  exercised  in  great  love  for  the 
souls  of  those  who  were  condemned  to  die.  To  the  Jews,  in 
different  cities  and  in  settlements  of  their  own,  he  preached 
the  outward  advent  and  the  spiritual  appearance  of  Him 
of  whom  Moses  in  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  did  write. 
In  many  parts  he  found  seeking  people,  whom  the  Lord 
had  favored  with  a  perception  of  spiritual  worship,  and 
who  had  adopted  views  in  some  respects  analogous  to  his 
own.  In  Norway  he  was  instrumental  in  establishing 
meetings  for  discipline,  and  in  Russia  he  and  his  fellow- 
laborer,  William  Allen,  introduced  a  book  of  selections 
from  the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  being,  by  imperial  law, 
adopted  in  their  schools,  was  still  retained  in  use  in  after 
years,  when  the  Bible  was  interdicted. 

In  these  and  all  his  journeys  he  was  careful  not  to  go 
forth  except  as  his  steps  were  ordered  of  the  Lord.  In 
conducting  his  temporal  affairs  he  was  scrupulously  just 
and  exemplary,  desiring  to  give  no  offence  in  anything, 
that  the  ministry  be  not  blamed ;  and  having  received 
freely  the  heavenly  gift,  he  was  careful  to  make  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  without  charge.  He  was  diligent  in  the  daily 
perusal  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  in  which  he  had  never 
read  until  he  was  awakened  by  the  Spirit  which  gave  them 


OF   STEPH  E N    G  RE L  L E T . 


19 


forth ;  and  as  he  progressed  in  the  perusal  of  them,  their 
spiritual  meaning  was  opened  to  his  understanding,  which 
was  enlightened  to  perceive  that  liberty  wherewith  Christ 
hath  made  his  people  free  from  the  necessity  of  dependence 
upon  forms  and  ceremonial  observances. 

In  his  public  labors  these  precious  writings  were  opened, 
passages,  both  from  the  Old  and  Xew  Testament,  bein<j; 
brought  into  view  with  freshness  of  life,  in  elucidation  of 
the  glorious  plan  of  Redemption,  and  of  the  blessedness 
of  the  unspeakable  gift  of  Him  who,  having  finished  his 
work  in  the  prepared  body,  Avould  not  leave  his  faithful 
followers  comfortless. 

His  ministry  was  weighty,  and  characterized  by  great 
simplicity.  He  was  led  to  dwell  on  the  sinfulness  of  sin, 
the  uncertainty  of  life,  the  awfulness  of  eternity,  and  the 
marvellous  love  and  mercy  of  Him  who  tasted  death  for 
all  men,  that  all  might  live,  and  whose  light  hath  shined  in 
every  heart ;  exhorting  the  people,  frequently  with  tears, 
that  they  should  not  neglect  so  great  salvation.  He  was  a 
minister  of  consolation  to  the  sincere  in  heart,  and  a  nursing 
father  to  the  babes  in  Christ. 

During  the  intervals  of  his  Christian  labors  and  travels, 
he  engaged  in  business  pursuits  sometimes  with  his  brother 
in  New  York,  and  sometimes  with  other  persons,  so  that 
he  was  enabled  to  gain  sufficient  means  to  defray  all  his 
expenses  in  his  travels  over  seas  and  lands,  as  well  as  to 
maintain  his  family  in  comfort  to  the  end  of  their  days. 

During  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  resided  in  Burling- 
ton, Xew  Jersey,  where  he  continued  to  exercise  himself  in 
the  service  of  his  Master,  though  through  frequent  and  long 
seasons  of  bodily  sickness  and  infirmity,  yet  he  endured,  as 
seeing  Him  who  is  invisible,  knowing  Him  whom  he  had 
believed  as  one  waiting  for  the  coming  of  his  Lord. 

Being  clothed  with  humility,  the  nearer  he  approached 
to  the  source  of  infinite  purity,  the  more  deeply  he  seemed 


20     C  O  N  V  INC  E  M  E  N  T  A  X  D  G  O  S  P  E  L  L  A  B  O  R  S ,  E  T  C . 

to  be  prostrated  in  self-abasedness,  and  if,  rejoicing  as  he  did 
himself  in  "  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of 
God,  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ/'  he  had,  during  a  ministry 
of  nearly  sixty  years,  labored  more  abundantly  than  many, 
both  at  home  and  abroad,  to  win  souls  to  Christ,  he  rever- 
ently acknowledged  that  it  was  not  he,  but  the  grace  of  God 
that  was  with  him ;  he  well  knew,  he  deeply  felt,  and  was 
not  slow  to  confess,  that  he  had  his  treasure  in  an  earthen 
vessel,  that  the  excellency  of  the  power  might  be  of  God, 
and  not  of  man. 

But  the  time  of  his  departure  came,  and  having  fought 
a  good  fight  and  finished  his  course,  having  kept  the  faith, 
now,  in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age,  he  gently  breathed 
his  last,  full  of  days  and  full  of  peace. 


No.  140. 


Earthly  axd  Heavenly  Treasure 

CONTRASTED. 


WHEN  Baron  Rothschild,  on  a  certain  occasion,  was 
dining  at  the  house  of  Fowell  Buxton,  his  whole  dis- 
course was  of  money,  of  the  art  of  making  or  preserving 
and  increasing  an  estate,  and  the  manner  in  which  he  had 
trained  up  his  children  to  follow  his  footsteps  in  this  re- 
spect. His  hostess  ventured  to  express  a  hope  that  he  did 
not  allow  them  to  forget  that  never-ending  life  so  soon  to 
begin,  for  which  also  preparation  must  be  made.  He 
replied  that  he  could  not  allow  them  to  think  of  such  a 
thing.  It  would  divert  their  minds  from  business — it 
would  be  fatal  to  their  success.  To  get  and  keep  a  for- 
tune is  a  very  difficult  thing,  and  requires  all  one's  time 
and  thoughts. 

The  fruit  of  these  teachings  of  the  father  is  shown  in 
the  biography  of  the  son.  Nathan  Rothschild,  of  London, 
who  was  called  the  high-priest  of  the  exchange,  was  so 
fearful  of  being  assassinated,  on  account  of  his  wealth,  the 
latter  part  of  his  life,  that  he  never  went  out  alone  after 
dark,  never  entered  an  unlighted  room,  had  servants  within 
call  of  his  bed-chamber,  and  slept  with  loaded  pistols  under 
his  pillow.    A  Frankforter,  dining  with  him  one  evening, 

1 


2       EARTHLY   AND   HEAVENLY  TREASURE. 


and  observing  the  luxury  of  liis  household,  remarked : 
"You  must  be  happy,  Baron,  with  the  power  to  gratify 
every  wish."  "  Happy,  indeed ! "  was  the  response.  "  Do 
you  think  it  happiness  to  be  haunted  always  with  the 
dread  of  murder — to  have  your  appetite  for  breakfast 
sharpened  by  a  threat  to  stab  you  to  the  heart  unless  you 
enclose  a  thousand  guineas  to  some  unknown  villain?" 

What  a  contrast  does  the  case  of  this  millionaire  present 
when  compared  with  that  of  his  cotemporary,  Hannah  Car- 
son, who  died  in  Philadelphia  in  1864.  As  regards  the 
possession  of  the  things  of  this  life,  she  was  in  a  state  of 
poverty — entirely  dependent,  during  the  last  thirteen  years 
of  her  life,  upon  the  charity  of  others.  This  was  in  conse- 
quence of  her  loss  of  the  use  of  her  limbs  by  disease ;  and 
she  was  even  unable  to  take  a  mouthful  of  nourishment 
without  being  fed.  She  was,  in  addition  to  these  depriva- 
tions, a  great  sufferer  from  acute  bodily  pain.  Yet  such 
was  her  faith  that  her  blessed  Saviour  would  provide  for 
all  her  needs,  that,  during  the  whole  period  of  her  confine- 
ment, she  never  doubted  He  would  make  provision  for  her, 
and  she  was  never  disappointed.  The  streams  of  Divine 
consolation  so  abounded  that  she  testified :  "  I  forget  my 
poor,  suffering  body  altogether.  No  matter  how  afflicted 
I  am — no  ability  to  eat  or  sleep — still  I  have  this  peace, 
this  comfort,  that  seems  to  subdue  my  bodily  affliction  all 
to  silence.  If  every  hair  on  my  head  were  a  tongue,  I 
would  employ  them  all  in  praising  Almighty  God." 

This  poor  colored  woman  had  employed  herself  in  laying 
up  treasure  in  heaven ;  Nathan  Rothschild  employed  him- 
self in  seeking  the  riches  of  this  world.  Both  were  suc- 
cessful. 

Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  304  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia, 


No.  141. 


A  VISIT 

TO 

THE  PRISONERS  AT  SPANDAU 

IX  GERMANY 

By  Thomas  Shillitoe. 


In  the  year  1824,  while  engaged  in  religious  labor  on  the 
continent  of  Europe,  Thomas  Shillitoe,  a  minister  of  the  society 
of  Friends,  under  an  impression  of  Divine  requirement,  paid  a 
visit  to  the  prisoners  in  the  jail  at  Spandau,  iu  Prussia. 

In  consequence  of  the  desperately  wicked  character  of  some 
of  them,  the  governor  of  the  prison  did  not  allow  them  to 
meet  the  others,  and,  consequently,  only  a  part  and  those  of 
the  better  class  were  collected.  Thomas  Shillitoe  was  not 
aware,  at  the  time  of  the  interview,  but  that  they  were  all 
present.  Yet,  at  the  conclusion,  he  did  not  feel  that  relief 
which  he  desired,  and  was  unable  then  to  assign  a  cause  for  it. 
When  he  understood  the  truth,  he  found  he  could  not  leave 
Berlin  without  endeavoring  to  obtain  another  interview  with 
the  prisoners,  and  especially  with  those  not  before  seen.  The 
governor  and  others  discouraged  him  from  attempting  such 
an  interview,  representing  the  danger  there  would  be,  not  only 
to  himself,  but  to  those  who  accompanied  him.  He  was  told 
that  a  former  governor  had  been  murdered  by  them,  and  that 
scalding  liquids  had  been  dashed  in  the  face  of  the  present 
one.    These  representations  were  not  without  their  effect  upon 


2 


A  VISIT  TO  THE  PRISONERS  AT  SPANDAU, 


our  friend.  He  says  :  "  These  considerations,  I  found,  without 
great  watchfulness,  were  in  danger  of  producing  such  agitation 
of  mind  as  would  be  very  unprofitable.  I  had  concluded,  in 
the  course  of  the  night  previous  to  our  proceeding  to  Spandau, 
to  empty  my  pockets  of  my  money,  watch,  pocket-book  and 
my  penknife  more  particularly ;  for,  by  having  my  penknife 
about  me,  I  might  be  the  cause  of  furnishing  them  with  the 
means  of  my  own  destruction :  this  I  accordingly  did.  But, 
on  mature  deliberation  on  the  step  I  had  thus  taken,  I  was 
mercifully  led  to  see  that  it  was  the  effect  of  that  departure 
from  a  full  and  entire  reliance  on  God's  arm  of  power,  which 
the  enemy  was  endeavoring  to  bring  about  in  my  mind.  I 
sensibly  felt  the  performance  of  this  very  act  had  produced 
weakness,  causing  the  hands  that  had  been  made  strong  through 
the  power  of  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob,  rather  to  fall  again.  I 
therefore  returned  to  my  chamber,  and  replaced  each  of  these 
articles  as  they  were  before,  taking  particular  care  that  my 
penknife  was  not  left  behind." 

At  the  time  proposed  for  them  to  see  the  governor,  they 
went  to  the  prison.  "  On  being  introduced  to  him,  I  presented 
my  fresh  order  from  the  minister  of  justice,  to  visit  the  prison- 
ers again.  His  countenance  bespoke  the  effect  it  had  on  his 
mind,  as  he  showed  himself  uncomfortable  and  much  agitated; 
probably  from  two  causes :  the  peremptory  manner  in  which 
the  order  was  couched,  and  the  fear  prevailing  in  his  mind  of 
those  he  called  the  most  desperate  of  the  prisoners  being  loose 
together  in  the  yard.  For  a  time  he  appeared  like  a  man 
recovering  from  a  violent  electric  shock,  and  then  again  stood 
like  a  petrified  subject.  During  this  season  of  proving  to  the 
governor  and  my  companions,  I  trust  I  was  not  void  of  a 
proper  feeling  for  him,  and  for  them;  but  I  found  I  must 
maintain  my  part  with  firmness. 

"After  the  governor  had  a  little  recovered  himself,  he 
brought  forward,  as  before,  many  reasons  to  prevent  my  seeing 
the  prisoners ;  but,  as  his  excuses  did  not  prove  effectual,  he 
next  tried  what  he  could  do  by  persuasion,  saying  that,  from 
his  knowledge  of  the  disposition  of  some  of  the  prisoners,  it 
would  be  dangerous  to  attempt  to  have  them  assembled  as  I 
wished.  No  such  apprehensions,  however,  prevailed  with  me, 
in  whatever  way  I  viewed  the  matter ;  yet  I  humbly  hope  I 


BY  THOMAS  SHILLITOE. 


a 


may  say  I  was  not  lost  to  a  feeling  of  sympathy  for  those  who 
were  to  accompany  me,  and  who  did  not  see  and  feel  the  sub-: 
jeer  as  I  was  enabled  to  do.  The  governor,  seeing  there  was 
no  other  way,  yielded  to  my  request,  and  ordered  all  the  men 
prisoners  to  be  assembled  in  the  great  yard  of  the  prison. 

"  On  entering  the  yard  where  they  were  assembled,  I  ob- 
served that  the  number  far  exceeded  what  I  had  met  with  at 
my  first  visit,  there  now  appearing  from  three  to  four  hundred 
prisoners  ;  many  forbidding  countenances  I  could  not  recollect 
to  have  seen  before,  whose  legs  were  loaded  with  irons,  but  not 
their  hands.  Had  they  been  disposed  to  injure  us,  I  thought, 
as  I  viewed  those  who  were  placed  in  front,  we  should  only  be 
like  so  many  grasshoppers  amongst  them.  Besides  ourselves 
and  the  governor,  we  had  the  company  of  the  head  officer  of 
the  town,  several  military  officers,  and  some  of  the  inhabitants. 
Our  kind  friend,  the  pastor,  placed  us  on  a  flight  of  steps,  very 
suitable  for  the  occasion,  and  the  prisoners  formed  a  circle  in 
front  of  the  steps. 

"After  a  pause,  the  governor  addressed  the  prisoners. 
Although  I  could  not  understand  a  word  which  he  expressed, 
yet  I  had  a  clear  evidence  that  his  matter  was  appropriate  to 
the  occasion,  and  that  he  was  assisted  by  best  help  in  doing  it. 
His  observations  produced  a  remarkable  quiet  over  the  whole 
assembly;  not  the  motion  of  a  foot  or  clink  of  a  fetter  was 
to  be  heard.  This  address  of  the  governor's  seemed  very 
much  to  open  my  way  in  the  minds  of  the  prisoners.  I  can- 
not call  to  remembrance  a  time  when  I  have  found  a  more 
open  door  to  receive  what  was  communicated,  than  in  this 
opportunity.  The  countenances  of  many  of  the  prisoners  ap- 
peared sorrowfully  affected,  and  bathed  in  tears ;  and  the 
quiet,  solid  manner  in  which  they  behaved  during  the  whole 
of  the  meeting,  considering  what  a  rough,  uncultivated  com- 
pany they  appeared  to  be,  was  a  striking  proof  of  the  suffi- 
ciency of  the  power  of  God,  now,  as  formerly,  to  control  and 
bring  into  subjection  the  evil  power  in  man;  that  thus  He 
alone,  whose  right  it  is  to  reign,  may  have  the  dominion. 
Having  been  favored  with  ability  fully  to  relieve  my  mind 
towards  them,  I  found  I  must  propose  to  give  each  of  the  pris- 
oners my  hand  of  love  before  I  left  them,  and  the  governor 
arranged  them  for  that  purpose.    In  this  step  I  was  led  to 


4  A  VISIT  TO   THE   PRISONERS   AT  SPANDAU. 


believe  the  prisoners  generally  sympathized  ;  for,  although 
they  were  not  able  to  express  themselves  in  my  own  language, 
their  countenances,  and  their  manner  of  pressing  my  hand,  I 
thought  fully  indicated  this  disposition  of  mind. 

"  Having  taken  a  farewell  of  the  prisoners,  we  retired  to  the 
governor's  apartment,  who  seemed  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to 
manifest  his  kindness  towards  us.  The  pastor  not  following 
us,  I  felt  anxious  to  take  leave  of  him  ;  but  before  we  had  fin- 
ished the  repast  which  the  governor  had  kindly  set  before  us, 
the  pastor  joined  us,  informing  us  he  had  been  detained  with 
the  prisoners,  who  had  requested  him,  in  the  name  of  the 
whole  of  them,  to  express  their  thankfulness  for  the  visit,  and 
that  many  of  them  could  say  the  words  that  had  been  deliv- 
ered amongst  them  reached  to  their  very  hearts,  and  they 
hoped  would,  in  a  future  day,  produce  good  fruits.  May  all 
the  praise  be  given  where  alone  it  is  due,  is  the  prayer  of  my 
soul !  We  parted  from  the  governor  very  affectionately,  and 
the  pastor  accompanying  us  to  our  hotel,  expressed  the  regret 
which  he  and  others  felt,  that  our  stay  amongst  them  was  of 
so  short  a  duration.  We  were  informed  that  a  man  of  con- 
siderable account  in  the  world  was  in  the  practice  of  asserting 
it  to  be  his  belief  there  was  no  such  thing  as  people  being 
actuated  by  the  love  of  God  in  their  conduct  toward  each 
other.  Our  first  visit  to  Spandau  excited  much  conversation 
amongst  the  town's  people,  our  motive  for  making  it  being 
viewed  by  some  as  proceeding  purely  from  the  love  of  God  : 
this  man  took  up  the  subject  in  support  of  his  own  opinions. 
In  the  course  of  his  arguing,  he  became  so  convinced  that 
nothing  short  of  the  love  of  God  to  the  poor  prisoners  could 
have  influenced  us  to  leave  our  homes  and  families,  and  en- 
dure the  hardships  by  sea  and  land  which  we  must  have  done, 
that  he  acknowledged  he  must  now  abandon  his  former  opin- 
ions on  this  subject." 

Some  years  afterwards  our  friend  was  informed  that  his  visit 
to  the  prisoners  was  of  great  benefit  to  them,  and  that  a 
society  had  been  formed  for  the  amendment  and  instruction 
of  prisoners  in  Germany,  and  that  it  had  been  promotive  of 
much  good. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a. 


No.  14-3. 


JOHN  BANKS' 

TRUE    TESTIMONY    CONCERNING  HIS 

FAITH  IN  CHRIST. 
17  0  4. 


'*  My  Fritnds  and  brethren  also  .  .  .  are  of  the  same  faith  in  Christ  with  wie." 


I BELIEVE  in  that  same  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  for  remission  of  sins,  and  the  salvation  of  my  soul, 
who  "  was  coneeived  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  born  of  the  Virgin 
Mary,  made  a  good  confession  before  Pontius  Pilate,  and 
was  crucified  without  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  ;  was  dead  and 
buried,  and  rose  again  the  third  day,  and  ascended  into  glory, 
far  above  all  heavens,"  that  He  might  fill  all  things,  accord- 
ing to  the  testimony  of  the  Holy  Scriptures ;  for  which  I 
have  a  godly  and  reverent  esteem. 

I  also  believe  in  Him,  as  to  his  appearing  the  second 
time,  without  sin,  unto  salvation,  to  all  that  look  for  Him, 
by  his  living  and  eternal  spirit,  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  which 
the  world  caunot  receive,  as  when  He  prayed  unto  the  Fa- 
ther, that  He  would  send  the  Comforter,  that  leads  into  all 
truth,  all  that  believe  in  Him  thereby. 

When  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  visit  me  with  the  day-spring 
of  his  love  from  on  high,  in  the  days  of  my  youth,  by  this 
Spirit  of  Life  and  Truth,  sin  and  satan  were  manifested : 

1 


2         JOHN  banks'  true  testimony 

and  if  at  any  time  I  was  prevailed  upon,  by  entering  into 
any  of  his  temptations,  I  was  reproved  and  judged  thereby. 
But  when  faith  was  begotten  in  my  heart  to  believe  in  the 
Spirit  of  Truth  that  reproved  me,  I  received  power  from 
Him,  in  whom  I  did  and  do  believe,  to  overcome  one  sin 
after  another,  in  order  to  a  perfect  freedom  from  it,  which 
must  be  in  this  life,  or  else  there  is  no  entering  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  For  all  who  live  aud  die  in  sin  are 
unclean,  and  therefore  cannot  enter  the  kingdom. 

This  is  the  blessed  effect  of  the  faith  of  every  true  believer 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  as  to  his  birth,  suffering,  resur- 
rection, ascension,  and  second  coming  without  sin,  unto  sal- 
vation ;  in  whom  all  must  believe  for  life  and  salvation  to 
their  souls,  whoever  come  to  know  the  full  assurance  thereof, 
in  the  kingdom  of  happiness  and  endless  glory. 

I  believe  in  Him,  and  own  Him  in  all  his  offices,  and 
under  every  name  and  denomination  which  is  given  to  Him 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  I  own  Him  as  King,  even  King 
of  Saints,  and  Lord  of  life  and  glory ;  High  Priest  of  the 
profession  of  all  that  were  and  are  of  the  true  faith ;  God's 
covenant  of  light  and  life ;  Emmanuel,  God  with  us,  who 
is  come  to  save  his  people  from  their  sins,  not  in  their  sins, 
for  there  is  no  being  saved  therein ;  which  is  in  the  fallen 
and  lost  condition. 

I  own  and  believe  in  Him,  as  He  is  the  "  true  light,  that 
enlighteneth  every. man  that  cometh  into  the  world." 

I  own  and  believe  Him  to  be  "  the  way,  the  truth,  and 
the  life ;  and  that  no  man  comes  to  the  Father  but  by  Him." 

I  believe  in  Him,  as  He  is  the  Minister  of  the  sanctuary, 
and  true  tabernacle  which  God  hath  pitched,  and  not  man ; 
who  by  his  power  and  spirit  hath  fitted  and  made  many 
able  and  faithful  ministers,  in  this  the  day  of  his  everlast- 
ing Gospel,  among  whom  He  hath  been  pleased  to  account 
me  worthy  to  be  one,  though  one  of  the  least  of  many. 
He  is  the  Minister  of  ministers,  and  none  are  or  can  be  true 


CONCERNING    HIS    FAITH    IN    CHRIST.  3 


ministers  but  who  are  made  so  and  ordained  by  Him.  He 
fits,  opens,  and  prepares  by  his  power  and  quickening  spirit. 
So  the  ministers  of  Christ  preach  Him  the  way,  the  truth, 
and  the  life ;  the  true  light,  the  door,  the  true  Shepherd, 
who  laid  down  his  life  for  the  sheep,  and  saves  by  his  grace 
all  true  believers,  who  obey  the  teachings  thereof. 

He  is  also  believed  in  and  known  by  his  second  coming, 
to  be  the  ingrafted  "Word,  that  is  able  to  save  the  soul.  He 
took  flesh  and  suffered  in  it,  the  one  offering  once  for  all, 
to  put  an  end  to  sin,  and  finish  transgression,  and  bring  in 
everlasting  righteousness.  The  fulfiller,  the  finisher,  and 
end  of  the  law,  with  all  the  types,  figures,  and  shadows  of 
it;  the  end  of  tithes,  swearing,  temple-worship,  outward 
circumcision,  offerings,  and  oblations.  The  end,  finisher, 
and  fulfiller  of  water-baptism,  and  outward  communion  by 
eating  of  bread  and  drinking  of  wine ;  He  the  great  Bap- 
tizer,  having  baptized  many  by  his  spirit  into  one  body,  of 
which  He  is  the  Head,  which  is  the  one  saving  baptism,  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  fire ; — and  John  with  his  water-bap- 
tism is  decreased  and  ended. 

And  He  is  the  one  bread  of  life,  come  down  from  God 
out  of  heaven,  which  is  eaten  of  by  faith,  whose  flesh  is 
meat  indeed,  and  his  blood  is  drink  indeed.  He  the  living 
substance  is  come  and  fed  upon  ;  and  was  and  is  the  com- 
munion of  saints. 

This  being  the  substance  of  the  testimony,  in  brevity,  of 
my  faith  in  Christ,  I  am  willing  to  leave  it  behind  me,  when 
I  have  finished  the  work  of  my  day  and  am  gathered  to 
my  everlasting  rest,  which  I  have  long  travailed  for,  through 
many  deep  exercises.  And  this  not  only  for  myself,  but  I 
was  willing  to  leave  this  upon  record,  on  the  behalf  of  my 
friends  and  brethren  also,  the  people  of  God  in  scorn  called 
Quakers,  who  are  of  the  same  faith  in  Christ  with  me. 

That  all  may  know,  who  have  a  desire  to  have  a  right 
understanding  of  our  faith  and  principles ;  that  we  are  no 


4 


JOHN    BANKS'    TRUE  TESTIMONY. 


1 


such  people  as  to  our  faith  in  Christ,  as  some  ignorantly, 
and  others  hatefully,  have  rendered  us ;  as  though  we  only 
or  wholly  depended  upon  the  light  within  for  salvation  to 
our  souls ;  and  did  not  own  or  believe  in  Christ  as  to  his 
coming,  death,  resurrection,  ascension,  etc. ;  and  the  benefit 
we  and  all  true  believers  have  thereby. 

But  blessed,  praised,  and  magnified  be  the  worthy  name 
of  the  Lord  our  God  forever,  who  hath  opened  our  under- 
standings by  his  power,  whereby  we  know  Him,  in  whom 
we  do  believe ;  which  is  not  to  believe  in  the  light  within, 
distinct  from  Christ ; — or  as  if  people  could  believe  in  the 
light  and  not  in  Christ. 

But  we  believe  in  both  as  one ;  knowing  and  being  clear 
in  our  understanding,  that  no  separation  can  be  made  be- 
tween Christ  and  the  light  that  comes  from  Him,  which 
shines  in  the  hearts  of  all  true  believers ;  and  shines  in  the 
darkness  of  unbelievers,  and  therefore  the  darkness  cannot 
comprehend  it.  So  we  as  truly  believe  in  that  same  Christ, 
who  laid  down  his  body,  and  took  it  up  again,  as  in  his  light 
within,  and  we  have  benefit  to  salvation,  by  the  one  as  well 
as  the  other,  and  of  both,  they  being  one,  and  are  willing 
to  lay  hold  of  every  help  and  means,  God  in  and  through 
Jesus  Christ,  has  ordained  for  our  salvation. 

Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street  Philad'a. 


No.  143. 


THE 

GOVERNMENT  OF  OUR  THOUGHTS. 


HE  who  cannot  command  his  thoughts,  must  not  expect 
to  control  his  actions.  The  smallest  attention  to  our 
own  minds  must  convince  us  that  the  thoughts  require 
restraint.  If  left  to  pursue  their  own  course  they  w9l 
assuredly  take  a  wrong  one.  Three  different  kind-  of 
thoughts  may  be  mentioned,  closely  connected  with  each 
other,  but  which  generally,  perhaps,  occur  in  the  following 
order — idle  thoughts,  vain  thoughts,  and  evil  thoughts. 

Idle  thoughts  are  those  which  range  from  one  subject  to 
another,  without  any  effort  being  made  to  divert  them  into 
a  useful  channel.  It  might  afford  a  profitable  illustration 
of  our  meaning,  if  the  train  of  thought  passing  through  the 
mind  of  one  could  be  taken  down  as  it  occurs.  And 
should  we  be  disposed  to  plead  in  excuse  that  it  was  rather 
silly  than  sinful,  let  us  remember  that  "  the  thought  of 
the  foolish  is  sin." 

"  If  Satan  finds  some  mischief  still  for  idle  hands  to  do," 
it  is  no  less  true  of  idle  thoughts.  They  are  the  first 
means  he  employs  to  ensnare  us :  of  them  we  seem  to  be 
not  much  afraid,  and,  therefore,  are  easily  led  on  to  the 
next  step,  which  is  short  and  easy  indeed.  How  impor- 
tant is  the  admonition  of  the  wise  man,  to  "  keep  thv  heart 
with  all  diligence,  for  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life." 


2 


GOVERNMENT  OF  OUR  THOUGHTS. 


By  vain  thoughts,  we  may  understand  those  wilful  ex- 
cursions of  the  imagination 7  those  airy  visions  of  future 
happiness,  as  improbable  as  they  are  undesirable,  which 
many  not  only  admit,  but  encourage.  If  persons  yield  to 
this  kind  of  mental  indulgence,  under  the  idea  of  its  being 
a  harmless  amusement,  it  must  be  for  want  of  observation 
of  their  own  minds,  or  for  want  of  sufficient  experience  of 
its  consequences. 

The  effects  of  vain  thoughts  upon  the  mind  may  be 
compared  to  those  of  intemperate  indulgence  on  the  body : 
enfeebling  its  powers,  rendering  present  occupation  insipid 
— every  duty  dry,  and  creating  a  distaste  for  mental  im- 
provement; at  the  same  time  they  cherish  self-love,  and 
blunt  benevolent  and  generous  sentiments.  Nor  is  it  too 
much  to  say  that  the  indulgence  of  these  visionary  pleasures 
is  absolutely  incompatible  with  religious  improvement. 
The  mind,  whose  favorite  employment  is  forming  plans 
and  wishes  for  possessing  the  pleasures,  riches,  honors,  and 
vanities  of  this  world,  cannot  be  properly  seeking  "  first 
the  kingdom  of  God  ;  "  cannot  be  "  hungering  and  thirst- 
ing after  righteousness ; "  cannot  have  rightly  "  fixed  its 
affections  on  things  above."  Well  then  might  David  ex- 
claim, "  I  hate  vain  thoughts,  but  Thy  law  do  I  love."  He 
knew  that  to  love  both  was  impossible,  for  he  sets  them  in 
direct  opposition  to  each  other. 

The  distance  and  difference  between  vain  and  wicked  or 
evil  thoughts,  is  much  less  than  may  be  imagined ;  it  is  but 
another  step,  a  step  soon  and  easily,  and  often  uncon- 
sciously, taken.  Who  then  will  dispute  that  "  the  thought 
of  foolishness  is  sin,"  for  "  all  unrighteousness  is  sin." 
Who  but  has  need  to  watch  and  pray  that  he  enter  not  into 
this  temptation ;  and  with  the  Psalmist  raise  his  prayer, 
daily  and  hourly,  "  Let  the  words  of  my  mouth,  and  the 
meditation  of  my  heart,  be  acceptable  in  thy  sight,  O  Lord, 
my  strength,  and  my  Redeemer." 


GOVERNMENT  OF  OUR  THOUGHTS. 


a 


Evil  deeds  are  nearly  always  preceded  by  evil  thoughts. 
If  the  last  is  carefully  excluded  from  the  mind,  the  first 
will  rarely  be  committed. 

If  a  habit  of  indulging  vain  and  sinful  thoughts  be 
so  injurious  to  the  moral  and  intellectual  powers,  how 
healthy,  how  desirable  is  a  well-regulated  mind,  that  is 
enabled  to  call  off  the  thoughts  from  unprofitable  wander- 
ings, and  fix  them  on  useful  and  important  subjects. 
Youth  is  the  best  time  for  forming  this  habit ;  if  neglected 
then,  it  will  in  after  life  be  by  painful,  laborious  efforts 
that  the  mind  can  be  brought  to  profitable  reflection  and 
meditation  ;  from  which  it  will  be  liable  to  be  diverted  by 
trifling  things  which  present  themselves  to  the  senses. 

Many  of  our  employments  are  happily  of  such  a  nature 
as  to  leave  the  mind  at  liberty.  Let  no  one  imagine  he  is 
not  responsible  for  the  manner  in  which  that  liberty  is 
used.  While  the  hands  are  performing  their  humble 
though  useful  functions,  what  a  noble  privilege  it  is  that 
the  mind  may  be  engaged  in  the  grandest  pursuits  that  can 
occupy  an  intelligent  being. 

Why  is  it  that  so  many  who  acknowledge  the  supreme 
importance  of  religion,  yet  from  year  to  year  neglect  that 
great  salvation  ?  Is  it  not  for  want  of  thought  ?  Idle  and 
vain  thoughts  are  like  the  "  weeds  which  spring  up  and 
choke"  good  impressions  on  the  mind  and  prevent  serious 
reflection.  Let  the  reader  inquire  for  himself  to  what  sub- 
ject his  thoughts  most  gladly  and  frequently  recur.  And 
happy  is  he  who,  after  such  an  investigation,  can  sincerely 
exclaim,  "  O,  how  I  love  Thy  law :  it  is  my  meditation  all 
the  day ! " 

Let  none  be  discouraged  from  attempting  to  acquire  a 
right  regulation  of  their  thoughts  by  the  difficulties  they 
may  have  to  encounter. 

Help  is  laid  on  One  mighty  to  save  and  able  to  deliver 
us  to  the  uttermost,  from  all  thoughts  that  obstruct  our 


4 


GOVERNMENT  OF  0UR  THOUGHTS. 


heavenly  pathway.  Christ  Jesus,  whose  Spirit  enlightens 
our  hearts  and  thus  enables  us  to  see  our  besetting  sins,  will 
give  us  power  to  overcome  them  all,  if  we  sincerely  and 
earnestly  ask  his  holy  aid,  who  by  his  light  shines  in  our 
souls,  and  thereby  gives  us  a  sight  of  our  sins,  and  dis- 
covers every  temptation  and  motion  in  us  unto  evil,  and 
reproves  us  when  we  ^ive  way  thereunto.  This  light, 
which  Satan  cannot  endure,  and  with  which  Christ  hath 
enlightened  all  men,  discovers  him  in  all  his  approaches  and 
assaults  upon  the  mind,  and  the  power  received  through 
obedience  to  the  manifestations  of  that  blessed  light  enables 
man  to  resist  and  vanquish  him  in  all  his  stratagems. 
Thus  every  thought  is  brought  into  judgment,  and  the  use 
and  tendency  of  it  is  examined  and  approved  before  it  is 
allowed  to  rest  in  the  mind,  and  by  this  strict  guard  upon 
all  our  thoughts,  our  actions  will  be  regulated  and  brought 
into  conformity  with  the  Divine  will. 

And  then,  day  by  day,  if  we  continue  to  pray  to  Him  for 
help,  He  will  render  that  easy  and  delightful  which,  at 
first,  appeared  irksome  and  difficult.  The  mind  will  cease 
to  relish  the  trifles  which  used  to  satisfy  it,  and  aspire  to 
pursuits  and  pleasures  of  the  highest  order.  To  be  pre- 
pared for  the  great  change — made  meet  for  a  world  of 
spiritual  enjoyment — will  then  appear  to  us  the  grand  con- 
cern of  life,  the  "  one  thing  needful." 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  304  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia. 


No.  144. 

THE 

Duty  and  Efficacy 

OF 

TKUE  PRAYER 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
Xo.  304  Arch  Street. 


THE 


DUTY  .AND  EFFICACY 

OF 

TRUE  PRAYER. 


npHERE  are  many  experiences  of  the  righteous  which 
confirm  the  truth  of  those  promises  of  Scripture  which 
assure  us  that  our  Father  in  Heaven  listens  to  the  cries  of 
his  children,  and  answers  them  ;  not  always  in  the  way  that 
they  may  look  for,  but  in  that  manner  which  is  consistent 
with  His  holy  will.  Without  Divine  help  we  know  not 
what  we  should  ask  for,  for  we  cannot  see  the  far-reaching 
consequences  which  might  follow  the  indulgence  of  our 
wishes ;  but  the  Spirit  itself  maketh  intercession  for  us  in 
accordance  with  the  Divine  will.  It  is  only  as  we  are 
brought  under  the  influence  of  this  Spirit,  and  put  up  our 
petitions  through  its  aid  and  prompting,  that  our  prayers 
are  true  and  living,  and  effectual  in  drawing*  a  blessing 
upon  us.  Yet  it  is  our  duty  to  live  in  habitual  communion 
with  God,  with  the  mind  often  turned  to  Him,  the  fountain 
of  all  spiritual  strength,  so  that  we  may  be  preserved  from 
evil,  and  be  made  quick  of  understanding  to  know  His 
will.  This  is  in  accordance  with  the  exhortation  of  the 
apostle,  to  pray  without  ceasing,  which  cannot  mean  that 
we  are  to  be  always  uttering  words  of  prayer.  The  mean- 
ing of  this  expression,  as  well  as  the  difference  between 
2 


THE  DUTY   AND  EFFICACY  OF  TRUE  PRAYER. 


8 


praying  and  saying  prayers,  is  illustrated  by  an  anecdote 
related  of  a  number  of  Episcopal  ministers  who  were  con- 
sidering the  subject  of  prayer,  and  an  old  servant  of  one 
of  them,  who  came  into  the  room  where  they  were  con- 
versing, to  replenish  the  fire.  The  incident  is  told  some- 
what as  follows : 

The  rector  of  the  parish,  who  knew  her  to  be  a  devout 
Christian,  concluded  to  ask  her  opinion  concerning  the 
matter  in  hand.    He  therefore  said  : 

"  Mary,  I  want  your  views  about  a  subject  that  has  been 
giving  us  some  trouble." 

The  aged  cook  looked  up  and  waited.  The  rector  con- 
tinued : 

"  We  have  been  considering  the  difficult  subject  of 
prayer;  and  though  we  differ  in  many  points  concerning 
its  nature  and  results,  we  are  in  agreement  concerning  the 
necessity  of  possessing  a  sound  form  of  words.  Will  you, 
Mary,  be  kind  enough  to  say  what  you  think  about  it?" 

Mary,  after  thanking  the  rector  for  his  goodness  to  her, 
replied :  "  You  know,  you  and  I  do  not  see  alike  on  that 
matter;  and  if  I  may  make  so  bold  as  to  speak  in  the 
presence  of  so  many  of  the  clergy,  I  think  you  all  have 
made  this  mistake, — you  have  been  considering  the  best 
way  to  say  your  prayers,  but  the  subject  of  praying  has 
been  left  out  of  your  discussions." 

The  ministers  were  startled  at  this  condemnation  by  the 
cook ;  but  the  rector  gave  her  a  genial  smile  of  encourage- 
ment, and  asked  her  for  further  explanation  of  her  meaning. 

"  Well,"  continued  Mary,  "  Paul  says,  '  pray  without 


4  THE  DUTY  AND  EFFICACY  OF  TRUE  PRAYER. 

ceasing ; '  and,  you  know,  the  dear  Lord  condemned  the 
heathen  for  their  many  prayers.  Indeed,  I  do  not  think 
that  He  told  any  one  even  to  say  prayers  until  they  asked 
Him  ;  and  His  answer  then  was,  '  when  you  "pray,  say,  Our 
Father/  etc.  I  know,  also,  that  you  teach  us  that  it  is 
our  duty  to  pray;  but  I  never  got  any  good  of  saying 
prayers  from  a  sense  of  duty,  because  I  have  got  to  feel 
that  prayer  is  a  necessity,  and  that  I  could  live  no  more 
spiritually  without  prayer  than  I  could  live  physically 
without  air.** 

After  a  pause,  the  rector  said  :  "  Mary,  what  is  your  un- 
derstanding of  Paul's  statement,  i  Pray  without  ceasing*  ?" 

"  Why/7  said  Mary,  "  that  is  very  simple ;  for  Paul 
could  not  mean  that  we  were  always  to  be  saying  prayers. 
Prayer  is  the  spiritual  atmosphere  in  which  the  Christian 
lives.  Now,  as  to  the  statement,  '  Pray  without  ceasing/  I 
can  only  say  that  it  is  an  experience.  *  *  *  You  know 
the  highest  and  best  prayer  is  when  you  are  not  asking  God 
for  anything,  but  waiting  on  Him,  and  in  communion 
with  Him.  I  used  to  ask  God  for  earthly  blessings,  but 
if  any  thought  of  this  kind  comes  now,  I  feel  not  so  much 
wanting  from  God,  as  wanting  Himself  and  His  com- 
munion. I  seem  to  be  in  that  state  of  mind  intimated  by 
the  words  of  Jesus, — '  In  that  day  ye  shall  ask  for  nothing/ 
My  thought  is  that  all  my  wish  may  merge  into  God's 
will." 

Though  this  submission  of  our  own  wills  to  the  Divine 
will  is  essential,  yet  it  does  not  debar  the  Christian  from 
following  the  advice  of  the  apostle,  to  let  our  requests  be 


THE  DUTY   AND  EFFICACY  OF  TRUE  PRAYER. 


5 


made  known  onto  God  in  prayer.  The  author  of  "  The 
Secret  of  the  Lord  "  gives  a  touching  narration  of  her  own 
experience  when  a  child  of  five  years  old.  She  carried 
about  her  a  locket  containing  a  small  portion  of  the  hair  of 
her  deceased  mother.  This  she  had  worn  as  long  as  she 
could  remember,  and  it  was  her  childish  treasure,  precious 
in  her  eyes.  Nightly  she  was  expected  to  place  it  on  her 
table  that  it  might  be  seen  it  was  safe — and  she  had  ne- 
glected to  do  so,  and  now  it  was  gone, — how  or  where  she 
knew  not, — and  the  child  wept.  In  her  distress,  her  heart 
turned  to  the  Lord,  with  the  feeling  that  He  alone  could 
help  her ;  and  she  begged  of  Him  to  send  back  the  lost 
locket,  for  He  alone  knew  where  it  was.  A  feeling  of 
peace  fell  on  the  heart  of  the  little  suppliant,  and  she  did 
not  question  that  her  voice  had  reached  the  ear  of  the  Most 
High,  who  rules  the  world.  Soon  after,  on  going  to  the 
nursery,  she  found  her  casket  lying  in  open  sight ;  bat 
did  not  know  till  many  years  after  that  the  power  of  the 
Lord  had  worked  on  the  conscience  of  the  thief  to  restore 
the  stolen  article.  She  adds,  that  the  simple  faith  of  her 
childhood  had  often  been  a  lesson  in  mature  years ;  and 
that  in  the  consciousness  of  her  need  of  a  wisdom  and 
power  greater  than  her  own,  the  language  of  her  spirit  had 
often  been,  "  If  Thou  wilt  not  help  me,  no  one  else  can  ! n 

That  the  servants  of  the  Lord  are  sometimes  led  to  pray 
for  outward  blessings  and  preservations  as  well  as  for 
spiritual  ones,  is  interestingly  shown  by  an  experience  of 
Thomas  Chalklev,  related  in  his  Journal,  under  date  of 
1707.    He  says:   "On  our  way  to  Jamaica,  we  saw  a 


6  THE  DUTY   AND  EFFICACY  OF  TRUE  PRAYER. 

small  privateer,  that  gave  us  chase,  and  it  being  caim,  she 
rowed  up  towards  us.  The  master  prepared  the  vessel  for 
fight,  hoisting  up  the  mainsail  and  putting  on  our  colors ; 
some  were  bold  and  some  were  sorrowful.  One,  coming  to 
me,  asked  what  I  thought  of  it,  and  what  I  thought  of  the 
Quakers'  principles.  I  told  him  I  thought  I  was  as  willing 
to  go  to  Heaven  as  himself  was ;  to  which  he  said  nothing, 
but  turned  away  from  me. 

"Another  asked  me  what  I  would  do  now.  I  told  him 
I  would  pray  that  they  might  be  made  fit  to  die.  Then  in 
the  midst  of  their  noise  and  hurry,  in  secret,  I  begged  of 
the  Almighty,  in  the  name  and  for  the  sake  of  His  dear 
Son,  that  He  would  be  pleased  to  cause  a  fresh  gale  of  wind 
to  spring  up,  that  we  might  be  delivered  from  the  enemy 
without  shedding  blood  (well  knowing  that  few  of  them 
were  fit  to  die),  and  even  while  I  was  thus  concerned,  the 
Lord  answered  my  desire  and  prayer ;  for  in  a  few  minutes 
the  wind  sprang  up,  and  we  soon  left  them  out  of  sight, 
our  vessel  sailing  extraordinarily  well.  The  next  day  we 
went  to  Jamaica  and  had  divers  meetings." 

A  striking  incident  is  related  of  a  seriously  minded 
young  girl  of  sixteen  years  of  age,  who  was  imprudent 
enough  to  enter  into  marriage  with  an  ungodly  man,  and 
thus  involved  herself  in  many  deep  trials.  Her  husband 
opposed  her  going  to  a  place  of  worship,  and  for  a  time 
she  yielded  to  his  wishes  in  this  respect.  But  finding  that 
her  compliance  produced  no  good  effect  upon  him,  she 
obeyed  what  she  believed  to  bo  the  will  of  her  Heavenly 
Father,  and  resumed  her  attendance  of  religious  meetings. 


THE  DUTY   AND   EFFICACY  OF  TRUE  PRAYER. 


7 


The  rage  of  her  husband  was  hard  to  bear,  but,  sustained 
by  the  grace  of  God,  she  patiently  persevered  in  the  path 
of  duty. 

This  continued  for  several  years,  and  her  husband  in  the 
meantime  fell  into  drunken  habits,  and  treated  her  with 
increased  cruelty,  threatening  to  burn  her  clothes,  break 
her  head,  and  turn  her  out  of  doors.  Oue  day,  as  she  was 
combing  her  hair,  his  behavior  was  so  bad  as  to  seem  no 
longer  to  be  endured.  She  laid  aside  her  comb,  and  falling 
on  her  knees  in  the  presence  of  the  astonished  man,  she 
poured  out  her  soul  to  her  Father  in  Heaven,  earnestly 
pleading  for  the  salvation  of  her  husband.  This  com- 
pletely silenced  him,  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  day 
he  went  about  the  house  as  quiet  as  a  lamb.  That  night, 
to  her  surprise  and  joy,  he  said,  "  Oh,  Mary,  what  a  wicked 
man  I  am !  How  dreadfully  I  have  treated  you !  Can 
you  forgive  me?  If  you  can  forgive,  I  know  God  can." 
"  I  forgive  you  with  all  my  heart,"  was  the  sincere  reply. 

The  account  states  that  he  became  a  changed  character, 
and  was  enabled  to  lead  a  consistent  Christian  life. 

As  a  family  was  about  sitting  down  to  breakfast  one 
morning,  a  strong  impression  rested  on  the  mind  of  the 
mistress  that  she  must  carry  a  loaf  of  bread  immediately 
to  a  poor  man  who  lived  about  half  a  mile  from  her  house, 
by  the  side  of  a  common.  Her  husband  wished  her  to 
postpone  taking  it  till  after  breakfast,  or  to  send  it  by  a 
servant ;  but  she  chose  to  take  it  herself,  and  without  delay. 
As  she  approached  the  hut,  she  heard  the  sound  of  a  human 
voice,  and  coming  to  the  door  unperceived,  found  the  poor 


8  THE  DUTY  AND  EFFICACY   OF  TRUE  PRAYER. 

man  was  praying  for  relief.  Among  other  things,  he  said, 
"  Oh !  Lord,  help  me !  Lord,  thou  wilt  help  me :  thy 
promise  cannot  fail :  although  my  wife,  myself,  and  chil- 
dren have  no  bread  to  eat,  and  it  is  now  a  whole  day  since 
we  had  any,  I  know  thou  wilt  supply  me,  though  thou 
shouldst  again  rain  down  manna  from  Heaven."  At  these 
words,  the  listener  could  wait  no  longer,  but,  opening  the 
door,  "  Yes,"  she  replied,  "  God  has  sent  you  relief ;  take 
this  loaf  and  be  encouraged  to  cast  your  care  upon  Him 
who  cares  for  you ;  and,  whenever  you  want  a  loaf  of  bread 
come  to  my  house." 

There  are  many  such  instances  on  record,  in  which  the 
prayer  of  faith  has  been  answered.  Indeed,  he  who  lives 
in  communion  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  recognizes  the 
divine  government  in  the  moral  as  well  as  the  material 
world,  has  an  habitual  feeling  of  his  dependence  on  the 
Lord  for  all  his  blessings,  both  inward  and  outward.  This 
dependence  will  not  lead  such  an  one  to  slothfulness,  or 
carelessness  in  his  outward  business ;  as  if  he  might  idly 
spend  his  time,  and  expect  to  be  fed  by  some  miraculous 
means.  The  same  grace  which  leads  him  to  trust  in  the 
Lord,  will  lead  him  to  be  diligent  in  business,  and  to  labor 
to  provide  for  his  own  wants  and  the  wants  of  those  de- 
pendent on  him. 


No.  144. 

THE 

Duty  and  Efficacy 

OF 

TKUE  PEAYEE. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
>'o.  3  04  Arch  Street. 


THE 


DUTY  AND  EFFICACY 

OF 

TRUE  PRAYER. 


HHHERE  are  many  experiences  of  the  righteous  which 
confirm  the  truth  of  those  promises  of  Scripture  which 
assure  us  that  our  Father  in  Heaven  listens  to  the  cries  of 
his  children,  and  answers  them  ;  not  always  in  the  way  that 
they  may  look  for,  but  in  that  manner  which  is  consistent 
with  His  holy  will.  Without  Divine  help  we  know  not 
what  we  should  ask  for,  for  we  cannot  see  the  far-reaching 
consequences  which  might  follow  the  indulgence  of  our 
wishes ;  but  the  Spirit  itself  maketh  intercession  for  us  in 
accordance  Avith  the  Divine  will.  It  is  only  as  we  are 
brought  under  the  influence  of  this  Spirit,  and  put  up  our 
petitions  through  its  aid  and  prompting,  that  our  prayers 
are  true  and  living,  and  effectual  in  drawing  a  blessing 
upon  us.  Yet  it  is  our  duty  to  live  in  habitual  communion 
with  God,  with  the  mind  often  turned  to  Him,  the  fountain 
of  all  spiritual  strength,  so  that  we  may  be  preserved  from 
evil,  and  be  made  quick  of  understanding  to  know  His 
Avill.  This  is  in  accordance  with  the  exhortation  of  the 
apostle,  to  pray  without  ceasing,  which  cannot  mean  that 
we  are  to  be  always  uttering  words  of  prayer.  The  mean- 
ing of  this  expression,  as  well  as  the  difference  between 
2 


THE  DUTY   AND  EFFICACY  OF  TRUE  PRAYER. 


3 


praying  and  saying  prayers,  is  illustrated  by  an  anecdote 
related  of  a  number  of  Episcopal  ministers  who  were  con- 
sidering the  subject  of  prayer,  and  an  old  servant  of  one 
of  them,  who  came  into  the  room  where  they  were  con- 
versing, to  replenish  the  fire.  The  incident  is  told  some- 
what as  follows : 

The  rector  of  the  parish,  who  knew  her  to  be  a  devout 
Christian,  concluded  to  ask  her  opinion  concerning  the 
matter  in  hand.    He  therefore  said  : 

"  Mary,  I  want  your  views  about  a  subject  that  has  been 
giving  us  some  trouble." 

The  aged  cook  looked  up  and  waited.  The  rector  con- 
tinued : 

"  \Ve  have  been  considering  the  difficult  subject  of 
prayer ;  and  though  we  differ  in  many  points  concerning 
its  nature  and  results,  we  are  in  agreement  concerning  the 
necessity  of  possessing  a  sound  form  of  words.  Will  you, 
Mary,  be  kind  enough  to  say  what  you  think  about  it?" 

Mary,  after  thanking  the  rector  for  his  goodness  to  her, 
replied :  "  You  know,  you  and  I  do  not  see  alike  on  that 
matter ;  and  if  I  may  make  so  bold  as  to  speak  in  the 
presence  of  so  many  of  the  clergy,  I  think  you  all  have 
made  this  mistake, — you  have  been  considering  the  best 
way  to  say  your  prayers,  but  the  subject  of  praying  has 
been  left  out  of  your  discussions." 

The  ministers  were  startled  at  this  condemnation  by  the 
cook ;  but  the  rector  gave  her  a  genial  smile  of  encourage- 
ment, and  asked  her  for  further  explanation  of  her  meaning. 

"  Well,"  continued  Mary,  "  Paul  says,  '  pray  without 


4  THE  DUTY  AND  EFFICACY  OF  TRUE  PRAYER. 

ceasing ; '  and,  you  know,  the  clear  Lord  condemned  the 
heathen  for  their  many  prayers.  Indeed,  I  do  not  think 
that  He  told  any  one  even  to  say  prayers  until  they  asked 
Him ;  and  His  answer  then  was,  '  when  you  pray,  say,  Our 
Father/  etc.  I  know,  also,  that  you  teach  us  that  it  is 
our  duty  to  pray ;  but  I  never  got  airy  good  of  saying 
prayers  from  a  sense  of  duty,  because  I  have  got  to  feel 
that  prayer  is  a  necessity,  and  that  I  could  live  no  more 
spiritually  without  prayer  than  I  could  live  physically 
without  air." 

After  a  pause,  the  rector  said  :  "  Mary,  what  is  your  un- 
derstanding of  Paul's  statement,  '  Pray  without  ceasing'  ?" 

"  Why,"  said  Mary,  "  that  is  very  simple ;  for  Paul 
could  not  mean  that  we  were  always  to  be  saying  prayers. 
Prayer  is  the  spiritual  atmosphere  in  which  the  Christian 
lives.  Now,  as  to  the  statement,  '  Pray  without  ceasing/  I 
can  only  say  that  it  is  an  experience.  *  *  *  You  know 
the  highest  and  best  prayer  is  when  you  are  not  asking  God 
for  anything,  but  Waiting  on  Him,  and  in  communion 
with  Him.  I  used  to  ask  God  for  earthly  blessings,  but 
if  any  thought  of  this  kind  comes  now,  I  feel  not  so  much 
wanting  from  God,  as  wanting  Himself  and  His  com- 
munion. I  seem  to  be  in  that  state  of  mind  intimated  by 
the  words  of  Jesus, — '  In  that  day  ye  shall  ask  for  nothing.' 
My  thought  is  that  all  my  wish  may  merge  into  God's 
will." 

Though  this  submission  of  our  own  wills  to  the  Divine 
will  is  essential,  yet  it  does  not  debar  the  Christian  from 
following  the  advice  of  the  apostle,  to  let  our  requests  be 


THE  DUTY  AND  EFFICACY  OF  TRUE  PRAYER. 


5 


made  known  unto  God  in  prayer.  The  author  of  a  The 
Secret  of  the  Lord  "  gives  a  touching  narration  of  her  own 
experience  when  a  child  of  five  years  old.  She  carried 
about  her  a  locket  containing  a  small  portion  of  the  hair  of 
her  deceased  mother.  This  she  had  worn  as  long  as  she 
could  remember,  and  it  was  her  childish  treasure,  precious 
in  her  eyes.  Nightly  she  was  expected  to  place  it  on  her 
table  that  it  might  be  seen  it  was  safe — and  she  had  ne- 
glected to  do  so,  and  now  it  was  gone, — how  or  where  she 
knew  not, — and  the  child  wept.  In  her  distress,  her  heart 
turned  to  the  Lord,  with  the  feeling  that  He  alone  could 
help  her ;  and  she  begged  of  Him  to  send  back  the  lost 
locket,  for  He  alone  knew  where  it  was.  A  feeling  of 
peace  fell  on  the  heart  of  the  little  suppliant,  and  she  did 
not  question  that  her  voice  had  reached  the  ear  of  the  Most 
High,  who  rules  the  world.  Soon  after,  on  going  to  the 
nursery,  she  found  her  casket  lying  in  open  sight ;  but 
did  not  know  till  many  years  after  that  the  power  of  the 
Lord  had  worked  on  the  conscience  of  the  thief  to  restore 
the  stolen  article.  She  adds,  that  the  simple  faith  of  her 
childhood  had  often  been  a  lesson  in  mature  years ;  and 
that  in  the  consciousness  of  her  need  of  a  wisdom  and 
power  greater  than  her  own,  the  language  of  her  spirit  had 
often  been,  "  If  Thou  wilt  not  help  me,  no  one  else  can  ! " 

That  the  servants  of  the  Lord  are  sometimes  led  to  pray 
for  outward  blessings  and  preservations  as  Avell  as  for 
spiritual  ones,  is  interestingly  shown  by  an  experience  of 
Thomas  Chalkley,  related  in  his  Journal,  under  date  of 
1 707.    He  says :   "  On  our  way  to  Jamaica,  we  saw  a 


6  THE  DUTY  AND  EFFICACY  OF  TRUE  PRAYER, 

small  privateer,  that  gave  us  chase,  and  it  being  caim,  she 
rowed  up  towards  us.  The  master  prepared  the  vessel  for 
fight,  hoisting  up  the  mainsail  and  putting  on  our  colors ; 
some  were  bold  and  some  were  sorrowful.  One,  comma-  to 
me,  asked  what  I  thought  of  it,  and  what  I  thought  of  the 
Quakers'  principles.  I  told  him  I  thought  I  was  as  willing 
to  go  to  Heaven  as  himself  was ;  to  which  he  said  nothing, 
but  turned  away  from  me. 

"Another  asked  me  what  I  would  do  now.  I  told  him 
I  would  pray  that  they  might  be  made  fit  to  die.  Then  in 
the  midst  of  their  noise  and  hurry,  in  secret,  I  begged  of 
the  Almighty,  in  the  name  and  for  the  sake  of  His  dear 
Son,  that  He  would  be  pleased  to  cause  a  fresh  gale  of  wind 
to  spring  up,  that  we  might  be  delivered  from  the  enemy 
without  shedding  blood  (well  knowing  that  few  of  them 
were  fit  to  die),  and  even  while  I  was  thus  concerned,  the 
Lord  answered  my  desire  and  prayer ;  for  in  a  few  minutes 
the  wind  sprang  up,  and  we  soon  left  them  out  of  sight, 
our  vessel  sailing  extraordinarily  well.  The  next  day  we 
went  to  Jamaica  and  had  divers  meetings." 

A  striking  incident  is  related  of  a  seriously  minded 
young  girl  of  sixteen  years  of  age,  who  was  imprudent 
enough  to  enter  into  marriage  Avith  an  ungodly  man,  and 
thus  involved  herself  in  many  deep  trials.  Her  husband 
opposed  her  going  to  a  place  of  worship,  and  for  a  time 
she  yielded  to  his  wishes  in  this  respect.  But  finding  that 
her  compliance  produced  no  good  effect  upon  him,  she 
obeyed  what  she  believed  to  be  the  will  of  her  Heavenly 
Father,  and  resumed  her  attendance  of  religious  meetings. 


THE  DUTY   AND   EFFICACY  OF  TREE   PRAYER.  7 


The  rage  of  her  husband  was  hard  to  bear,  but,  sustained 
by  the  grace  of  God,  she  patiently  persevered  in  the  path 
of  duty. 

This  continued  for  several  years,  and  her  husband  in  the 
meantime  fell  into  drunken  habits,  and  treated  her  with 
increased  cruelty,  threatening  to  burn  her  clothes,  break 
her  head,  and  turn  her  out  of  doors.  One  day,  as  she  was 
combing  her  hair,  his  behavior  was  so  bad  as  to  seem  no 
longer  to  be  endured.  She  laid  aside  her  comb,  and  falling 
ou  her  knees  in  the  presence  of  the  astonished  man.  she 
poured  out  her  soul  to  her  Father  in  Heaven,  earnestly 
pleading  for  the  salvation  of  her  husband.  This  com- 
pletely silenced  him,  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  day 
he  went  about  the  house  as  quiet  as  a  lamb.  That  night, 
to  her  surprise  and  joy,  he  said,  "  Oh,  Mary,  what  a  wicked 
man  I  am  !  How  dreadfully  I  have  treated  you !  Can 
you  forgive  me?  If  you  can  forgive,  I  know  God  can." 
"  I  forgive  you  with  all  my  heart,"  was  the  sincere  reply. 

The  account  states  that  he  became  a  changed  character, 
and  was  enabled  to  lead  a  consistent  Christian  life. 

As  a  family  was  about  sitting  down  to  breakfast  one 
morning,  a  strong  impression  rested  on  the  mind  of  the 
mistress  that  she  must  carry  a  loaf  of  bread  immediately 
to  a  poor  man  who  lived  about  half  a  mile  from  her  house, 
by  the  side  of  a  common.  Her  husband  wished  her  to 
postpone  taking  it  till  after  breakfast,  or  to  send  it  by  a 
servant ;  but  she  chose  to  take  it  herself,  and  without  delay. 
As  she  approached  the  hut,  she  heard  the  sound  of  a  human 
voice,  and  coming  to  the  door  unperceived,  found  the  poor 


8  THE  DUTY  AND  EFFICACY   OF  TRUE  PRAYER. 

man  was  praying  for  relief.  Among  other  things,  he  said, 
"  Oh !  Lord,  help  me !  Lord,  thou  wilt  help  me :  thy 
promise  cannot  fail :  although  my  wife,  myself,  and  chil- 
dren have  no  bread  to  eat,  and  it  is  now  a  whole  day  since 
Ave  had  any,  I  know  thou  wilt  supply  me,  though  thou 
shouldst  again  rain  down  manna  from  Heaven."  At  these 
words,  the  listener  could  wait  no  longer,  but,  opening  the 
door,  "  Yes,"  she  replied,  "  God  has  sent  you  relief ;  take 
this  loaf  and  be  encouraged  to  cast  your  care  upon  Him 
who  cares  for  you ;  and,  whenever  you  want  a  loaf  of  bread 
come  to  my  house." 

There  are  many  such  instances  on  record,  in  which  the 
prayer  of  faith  has  been  answered.  Indeed,  he  who  lives 
in  communion  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  recognizes  the 
divine  government  in  the  moral  as  well  as  the  material 
world,  has  an  habitual  feeling  of  his  dependence  on  the 
Lord  for  all  his  blessings,  both  inward  and  outward.  This 
dependence  will  not  lead  such  an  one  to  slothfulness,  or 
carelessness  in  his  outward  business ;  as  if  he  might  idly 
spend  his  time,  and  expect  to  be  fed  by  some  miraculous 
means.  The  same  grace  which  leads  him  to  trust  in  the 
Lord,  will  lead  hiin  to  be  diligent  in  business,  and  to  labor 
to  provide  for  his  own  wants  and  the  wants  of  those  de- 
pendent on  him. 


No.  145. 


PHILADELPHIA. 
POLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OE  FRIENDS, 

NO.  304  ARCH  STREET. 


188.3. 


GEORGE  WITHY. 


George  Withy  was  the  son  of  an  ale-house  keeper  in 
Bristol,  England,  who  was  a  dissipated  man,  but  his  wife 
was  a  religious  woman  and  much  concerned  for  the  welfare 
of  her  children.  Thomas  Carrington,  a  minister  of  the 
Society  of  Friends,  from  Pennsylvania,  while  on  a  reli- 
gious visit  to  England,  felt  a  concern  to  visit  the  ale-house 
keepers  of  Bristol. 

Among  others  was  the  father  of  George  Withy ;  the 
latter  being  13  years  of  age,  was  engaged  in  carrying  round 
the  ale  to  his  father's  customers,  and  having  a  remarkably 
sweet  voice,  he  was  often  asked  to  sing.  The  exposure  to 
which  he  was  subjected  was  cause  of  great  concern  to  his 
pious  mother,  which  she  had  expressed  to  Thomas  Carring- 
ton. Before  the  interview  closed,  George  Withy  came  in. 
T.  C.  looked  attentively  at  him  for  a  while,  then  placing 
his  hand  on  his  head,  remarked  to  his  mother  —  thou  need 
feel  no  concern  for  the  lad,  for  he  will  be  met  in  a  narrow 
place,  he  will  become  convinced  of  the  principles  of  the 
Society  of  which  I  am  a  member,  and  will  have  to  visit 
my  native  land  in  the  love  of  the  Gospel.  George  mentally 
resolved  he  wTould  never  become  a  Quaker,  never  become  a 
minister,  and  he  would  certainly  never  visit  America. 

In  reference  to  this  period  of  his  life,  he  writes :  "  I 

3 


4 


GEORGE  AVITHY. 


often  felt  the  secret  convictions  of  something  within  that 
I  was  convinced  would,  if  fully  obeyed,  have  led  me  into 
the  paths  of  virtue ;  yet  I  did  violence  thereto,  and  often 
eluded  the  gentle  intimations  of  God's  Holy  Spirit  thus 
striving  with  me.  I  found  that  I  had  a  corrupt  heart,  from 
which  no  good  fruit  could  be  produced,  and  that  I  never 
could  be  brought  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  peace  of  God's 
children,  but  as  my  evil  heart  became  renewed  by  the 
operation  of  the  one  saving  baptism  of  which  John's  was 
a  figure."  He  frequented  for  some  time  the  meetings  of 
various  religious  denominations.  At  length  he  had  an 
alarming  attack  of  sickness,  during  which  he  was  waited 
upon  by  his  anxious  mother,  whose  exercises  on  his  account 
were  very  great.  He  was  indeed  met  in  a  narrow  place, 
and  became  convinced  of  the  principles  of  Friends.  While 
relating  this  circumstance  to  Thomas  Evans,  he  said: 
"  When  I  left  my  sick  room,  I  appeared  in  the  garb  thou 
now  see'st  me  in." 

He  was  received  into  membership  about  the  22d  year  of 
his  age,  and  first  appeared  as  a  minister  in  his  25th  year. 
After  his  marriage  he  and  his  wife  settled  several  miles 
from  Bristol,  and  were  in  the  practice  of  regularly  attend- 
ing the  meeting  twice  in  the  week,  and  having  no  convey- 
ance were  obliged  to  walk,  which  they  continued  to  do, 
until  they  had  six  children  old  enough  to  walk  with  them ; 
never  omitting  a  meeting  except  in  case  of  sickness,  and 
always  taking  the  children  along  with  them. 

He  removed  in  the  year  1805,  to  reside  within  the  com- 
pass of  Frenchay  Meeting.   Some  years  after  this,  feeling  a 


GEORGE    WITHY.  5 

■ 

religious  concern  to  visit  America,  which  he  long  resisted, 
reasoning  that  he  could  not  leave  his  dependent  family  and 
aged  mother,  who  was  then  about  87  years  old,  he  was 
brought  to  a  state  of  submission  by  a  remarkable  circum- 
stance. As  he  was  lying  on  his  bed  one  afternoon  with 
closed  eyes,  under  a  feeling  of  deep  distress  on  account  of 
Ibis  prospect,  it  appeared  to  him  that  two  men  entered  the 
room,  each  carrying  a  stool,  such  as  are  used  at  funerals, 
and  set  them  at  the  foot  of  his  bed,  they  then  left  the  room. 
Soon  afterward  they  returned  bringing  in  a  coffin,  which 
they  placed  on  the  stools.  Observing  a  plate  on  the  lid, 
he  read  the  inscription  :  George  Withy,  died  9th  mo. 
30th,  1822,  aged  59  years.  This  increased  his  distress, 
when  he  heard  in  his  mental  ear  the  language:  "If  thou 
wilt  be  faithful  and  yield  to  my  requiring,  thy  family  shall 
be  cared  for  in  thy  absence,  and  I  will  add  fifteen  years  to 
thy  life,  and  thou  shalt  return  to  close  thy  mother's  eyes  in 
death." 

At  one  time  when  travelling  alone,  paying  a  religious 
visit  in  Wales,  having  been  at  a  meeting  in  the  morning 
and  was  going  to  another  to  be  held  in  the  afternoon  ;  as 
he  was  riding  along,  he  felt  a  sudden  impression  that  it 
would  be  right  to  turn  around  and  go  directly  home.  So 
unexpected  and  sudden  an  impression  caused  some  hesita- 
tion, and  he  stopped  and  weighed  the  thing  in  the  best 
manner  he  could.  The  result  was  that  he  must  go  home, 
and  as  quickly  as  he  could.  He  did  so,  and  travelled  all 
night,  reaching  home  in  the  morning.  Here  he  found  that 
his  niece  had  been  drowned  about  the  time  that  the  impres- 


6  GEORGE  WITHY. 

sion  was  made  on  his  mind.  His  wife  had  the  care  of  their 
children,  and  his  presence  and  assistance  were  almost 
indispensable. 

The  visit  to  America  was  performed  in  1821-2,  and  while 
in  this  country,  George  Withy  frequently  had  Thomas 
Evans  for  his  travelling  companion.  One  day  G.  W. 
seemed  thoughtful,  and  was  evidently  passing  through 
religious  exercise.  He  informed  T.  Evans  that  this  was 
the  day  that  he  had  seen  on  the  plate  on  the  coffin  should 
be  the  date  of  his  death.  He  feared  that  he  had  not  been 
sufficiently  faithful,  and  that  his  death  therefore,  would 
really  occur.  This,  however,  did  not  prove  to  be  the  case. 
Thomas  Evans  privately  made  a  note  of  this  date  at  the 
time,  and  on  hearing  of  George  Withy's  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  England,  he  found  on  referring  to  the  note,  that 
it  was  exactly  fifteen  years  afterward,  to  a  day. 

G.  W.  and  T.  E.  visited  Washington  during  the  sessions 
of  Congress,  and  G.  W.  wishing  to  hold  a  public  meeting, 
T.  E.  consulted  some  persons  of  prominence,  who  encour- 
aged it  and  proposed  to  have  it  announced  by  hand  bills, 
which  were  accordingly  posted  in  different  parts  of  the 
city. 

On  their  way  to  attend  the  meeting,  the  Friends  ob- 
served a  large  number  of  vehicles  collected  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  Capitol,  the  sight  of  which  almost  over- 
whelmed George  Withy,  who  remarked  to  his  companion 
that  he  feared  he  had  made  a  mistake ;  the  latter  encou- 
raged him  to  believe  that  this  was  not  so.  On  arriving  at 
the  door  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  so  large  a  crowd 


GEORGE  WITHY. 


7 


had  assembled,  that  way  had  to  be  made  through  it  for 
them  to  reach  the  seats  it  was  intended  they  should  occupy. 

On  a  stand  before  them  were  a  bible  and  a  glass  of  water, 
which,  at  their  request,  were  removed.  For,  while  he 
highly  prized  the  Holy  Scriptures,  he  felt  that  his  depend- 
ence in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  must  be  immediately 
upon  the  Lord  alone. 

After  sitting  some  time  in  silence,  George  Withy  arose 
with  the  text:  "For  ye  see  your  calling,  brethren:  how 
that  not  many  wise  men  after  the  flesh,  not  many  mighty, 
not  many  noble  are  called :  But  God  hath  chosen  the 
foolish  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise;  and  God 
hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the 
things  which  are  mighty;  And  base  things  of  the  world, 
and  things  which  are  despised,  hath  God  chosen,  yea,  and 
things  which  are  not,  to  bring  to  naught  things  that  are ; 
That  no  flesh  should  glory  in  His  presence."  Upon  this 
he  enlarged  in  a  remarkable  manner,  the  audience  being 
much  impressed  and  affected.  Old  men  with  white  hair, 
and  women  dressed  as  dowagers,  were  equally  broken 
under  his  baptizing  ministry,  the  tears  streaming  down 
their  faces,  so  that,  to  use  the  language  of  Thomas  Evans  : 
"  The  floor  was  literally  strewed  with  tears,  and  it  was 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  meetings  I  had  ever  attended/' 

After  the  meeting,  the  people  crowded  up  to  speak  to  Gc 
W.,  expressing  their  satisfaction  and  approval  of  the  senti- 
ments delivered.  As  he  was  descending  the  steps  of  the 
Capitol,  a  Presbyterian  minister  embraced  him,  saying: 


8 


GEORGK  WITHY. 


"  My  dear  brother,  you  have  preached  the  Gospel  this 
day." 

Upon  returning  to  his  native  land,  he  found  the  promise 
verified:  his  family  had  been  cared  for,  and  his  mother 
was  still  living.  She  deceased  soon  after,  being  about  90 
years  of  age. 

For  some  years  previous  to  his  decease  he  was  much 
afflicted  with  painful  disease,  and  toward  the  last  his  suffer- 
ings were  often  excruciating.  Yet  through  the  power  of 
divine  grace,  he  was  preserved  in  patient  resignation  to  the 
will  of  the  Lord,  and  though  deprived  of  nearly  all  power 
of  voluntary  motion,  yet  such  was  the  peaceful  tranquillity 
and  holy  joy  which  covered  his  spirits,  that  he  could  say, 
it  was  the  happiest  period  of  his  life,  and  that  he  would 
not  willingly  exchange  situations  with  those  in  perfect 
health.  At  one  time  he  remarked  :  "  I  have  not  language 
to  express  the  consolations  I  feel.  Death  has  lost  his  sting. 
'  Thanks  be  to  God,  which  giveth  us  the  victory  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.' 99  Again  he  said  :  "  My  prospect 
is  all  cheerful ;  I  have  not  a  cloud  on  my  path."  On  the 
30th  of  Ninth  month,  1837,  he  quietly  departed,  aged  74 
years;  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  49  years. 


No.  146. 

WAS  IT  TIME  LOST? 


In  attending  a  number  of  meetings  held  by  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends,  to  which  the  inhabitants  of  several 
villages  were  at  different  times  invited — these  meetings 
commencing,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  Society,  in 
silence — I  was  more  than  once  informed,  that  the  minis- 
try of  those,  who,  in  gospel  love,  had  requested  these 
meetings  to  be  convened,  had  been  peculiarly  acceptable 
and  refreshing  to  the  people,  nevertheless  the  expression 
of  gratitude  from  several  of  them,  was  acompanied  by  the 
observation,  "  But  there  was  a  great  deal  of  time  Lost." 
This  simple  circumstance  led  me  to  consider  how  it  could 
be,  that  amongst  serious  and  professing  people,  the  time 
should  be  considered  to  be  lost,  which  is,  or  ought  to  be 
spent  in  striving  in  reverential  stillness,  to  subdue  all 
wandering  thoughts,  and  in  waiting  in  humility  and 
faith,  for  the  precious  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  Him, 
who  hath  promised  to  be  in  the  midst  of  the  two  or 
three,  who  are  gathered  together  in  his  name.* 

I  thought,  that  if  the  prayer,  frequently  repeated  men- 
tally by  persons  of  many  other  denominations,  on  enter- 
ing a  place  of  worship,  were  always  attended  by  the 
lifting  up  of  the  heart  to  its  Almighty  Creator,  and  suc- 
ceeded by  an  earnest  endeavor,  in  reverential  prostration 
of  soul,  to  centre  all  its  affections  on  Him  alone,  who 
must  be  worshipped  in  the  temple  of  the  heart,  if  wor- 
shipped aright,  the  time  spent  by  such  persons  in 

*  Matthew  xviii.  20. 


2 


WAS    IT    TIME  LOST? 


silence,  in  meetings  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  would  not 
appear  long;  much  less  would  it  be  felt  as  "  Time  lost." 

It  appears  to  me  that  one  of  the  great  errors  of  reli- 
gious professors,  and  one  that  is  sometimes  the  occasion 
of  incalculable  loss  to  themselves,  is  the  belief  that  words 
are  essential  to  the  performance  of  worship ;  hence 
arises  the  anxious  desire,  on  all  occasions  when  gath- 
ered together  for  this  solemn  and  important  purpose,  to 
hear  words  spoken,  or  for  the  congregation  immediately 
to  offer  up  vocal  prayer  or  praises,  to  the  Most  High, 
however  unprepared  the  hearts  of  some  of  those  assem- 
bled before  Him  may  be.  When  we  reflect,  that  God 
knows  the  most  secret  thoughts  of  the  heart,  that  He 
ever  beholds  its  true  state;  prayer  or  praise  offered  unto 
Him,  unless  the  mind  be  really,  at  the  time,  under  the 
softening  influence  of  the  poAver  of  his  grace,  must,  at 
the  best,  be  but  an  unsanctified  offering ;  and  the  query 
may  well  be  put  to  such  as  express  what  they  really  do 
not  feel,  "  Who  hath  required  this  at  your  hands  ?"  * 

It  may  be  said,  we  ought  always  to  be  prepared  to 
put  up  our  petitions  to  the  Most  High,  and  to  praise 
Him,  in  the  sanctuary ;  but  is  the  heart  of  the  most  de- 
voted Christian  always  prepared  for  this  service  ?  Have 
we  not  often  occasion  first  to  "  draw  near"  unto  Him 
who,  through  his  Holy  Spirit,  can  alone  prepare  us  to 
perform  acceptable  worship  whether  it  be  in  vocal  sup- 
plication, or  in  those  secret  breathings  and  mental  as- 
pirations, which  are  of  themselves  true  and  acceptable 
prayer,  when  arising  from  a  sense  of  our  wants,  or  from 
a  broken  heart  and  a  contrite  spirit  ? 

"If  anything  be  revealed  to  another  that  sitteth  by," 
saith  the  apostle,  "let  the  first  hold  his  peace."  Doth 
not  this  imply  that  the  power  of  Christ,  and  the  prompt- 
ing or  restraining  influence  of  his  Spirit,  may  be  known 

*  Isaiah  i.  12. 


WAS     IT    TIME  LOST? 


3 


and  felt,  in  regard  to  the  exercise  of  spiritual  gifts ;  and 
that  He  does  really  preside  over  every  rightly  gathered 
assembly  of  his  people  ?  If  we  grant  this,  can  we  with- 
stand the  conclusion,  that  his  followers  ought  to  present 
themselves  in  solemn  stillness  before  Him,  waiting  for 
the  influence  of  his  Spirit,  previous  to  the  offering  of 
prayer  or  praise,  or  to  the  preaching  of  the  word  ?  If 
we  do  thus  decide,  we  must,  I  think,  also  conclude,  that 
if  time  so  spent  in  silent  waiting  upon  the  Lord  be 
"  Time  Lost,"  the  fault  is  our  own  ;  and  that  we  are  yet 
but  on  the  threshold  of  Christian  experience. 

I  should  be  sorry  to  appear  in  the  least  degree,  dis- 
posed to  accuse  my  fellow  professors  of  the  Christian 
name,  yet  I  cannot  but  think,  that  if  we  were  more  in 
the  practice  of  private  meditation — "  of  communing 
with  our  own  hearts,  and  being  still;"*  more  constant 
in  seeking  to  lift  up  the  heart  in  prayer  and  thanksgiv- 
ing unto  Him,  who  knows  what  we  have  need  of  before 
we  ask  Him;f  if  it  were  our  earnest  and  continual  en- 
deavor thus  to  fulfil  the  apostolic  injunction,  "  Pray 
without  ceasing ;  in  every  thing  give  thanks,  for  this  is 
the  will  of  God,  in  Christ  Jesus,  concerning  you  V'%  we 
should  be  better  prepared,  when  publicly  assembled 
together,  to  "  feel  after  Him,"  and  to  meditate  on  his 
goodness. 

Words,  though  good,  when  spoken  in  the  fear  of  the 

Lord  and  under  the  sanctifying  influence  of  his  Spirit, 

are  not  therefore,  really  essential  to  the  performance  of 

true  worship — of  that  worship  which  our  Saviour  has 

declared  must  he  performed  in  spirit  and  in  truth. §  But 

words,  if  uttered  only  from  forms,  or  prompted  from 

the  mere  activity  of  the  imagination,  must  often  obstruct 

the  tranquil  and  contriting  influence  of  the  Spirit  in  the 

*  Psalm  iv.  4,  9.        f  Matthew  vi.  8.        %  Thess.  v.  17,  18. 
§  John  iv.  23. 


4 


WAS    IT    TIME  LOST? 


heart  of  the  believer,  and  tend  to  lead  him  into  a  "  form 
of  godliness,"  rather  than  into  the  "  power  thereof." 

"  Time  is  lost"  if  we  do  not  meet  punctually  at  the 
hour  appointed  for  worship.  By  this  we  not  only  suffer 
loss  ourselves,  but  disturb  the  devotions  of  others. 
u  Time  is  lost,"  and  condemnation  will  follow  if  when 
met  together  for  the  purpose  of  worship,  we  suffer  the  eye 
to  wander,  and  the  thoughts  and  imaginations  to  roam  at 
large,  instead  of  seeking  ability  to  worship  God  aright, 
and  to  be  prepared  to  receive,  as  the  thirsty  ground,  those 
Gospel  truths  which  the  rightly  exercised  minister  may 
be  called  upon  to  communicate.  "  Time  is  lost"  if  we 
indulge  in  idle  conversation,  spend  it  in  frivolous  pur- 
suits, devote  too  much  of  it  to  this  world,  or  lose  opportu- 
nities of  seeking  an  acquaintance  with  our  God,  and  thus 
neglect  the  important  duty  of  working  out  our  own  sal- 
vation with  fear  and  trembling.  Nay,  time  would  indeed 
"  fail  me  to  tell"  of  the  variety  of  ways  m  which  time 
may  be  wasted  or  lost ;  and  for  the  right  employment 
of  which,  as  of  every  other  talent,  we  must  give  account. 

If  in  endeavoring  to  worship  God  aright,  we  should 
discover  nothing  more  than  our  own  sinfulness  or  our 
inability,  in  our  own  strength,  to  bring  into  subjection 
our  wandering  thoughts,  or  should  only  be  made  sensi- 
ble that  we  need  this  aid  every  moment,  or  be  convinced 
of  our  utter  unworthiness,  and  inability  of  ourselves  to 
say  even  "Abba — Father,"  with  acceptance  (See  Rom. 
viii.  15,  and  iv.  6),  we  shall  have  learned  some  impor- 
tant lessons  m  the  school  of  Christ — lessons  more  cal- 
culated to  promote  our  growth  m  the  root  of  vital  reli- 
gion, than  all  the  ceremonial  of  a  mere  outward  worship; 
or  any  devotional  acts  performed  in  our  own  strength, 
and  consequently  without  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia. 


No-  147. 

REMARKABLE  CONVERSION 

OF 

A.  E.  KOTHEN, 

THROUGH 

IMMEDIATE  WVINE  REVELATION. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS. 
Xo.  304  Arch  Street. 

1885. 


REMARKABLE  CONVERSION 

OF 

A.  E.  KOTHEN". 


The  early  part  of  the  present  century,  A.  E.  Kothen, 
a  native  of  Sweden,  wished  to  go  from  Stockholm  to 
Aho,  in  Finland.  The  regular  vessel  between  the  ports 
having  sailed,  he  took  passage  in  a  fishing  boat,  going 
the  same  way.  Whilst  they  were  in  the  midst  of  the 
Gulf  of  Bothnia,  he  heard  the  men  consult  in  the  Fin- 
nish language — which  they  thought  he  did  not  under- 
stand— on  the  best  method  of  taking  possession  of  the 
property  which  he  had  with  him  in  several  trunks. 
Some  proposed  to  throw  him  overboard.  To  show 
them  that  he  was  not  laden  with  money,  he  opened 
one  of  the  trunks  containing  books.  On  seeing  this, 
they  said  one  to  another,  "  'Tis  not  worth  while  to 
throw  him  overboard,  as  we  do  not  want  books." 
Through  an  erroneous  impression  they  took  him  for  a 
preacher,  and  appeared  pleased,  saying  they  would 
have  a  sermon  the  next  day,  it  being  the  first  day  of 
the  week.  This,  however,  had  a  tendency  to  increase 
the  anxiety  and  distress  of  his  mind,  believing  himself 
to  be  as  incapable  of  such  an  undertaking  as  it  was 
possible  for  any  man  to  be ;  for  he  knew  not  much  about 
the  Scriptures,  neither  did  he  believe  in  them,  nor  in 
any  Divine  revelation  whatever,  manifested  in  man. 


REMARKABLE  CONVERSION  OE  A.   E.   KOTHEN.  3 

The  pirates,  for  such  they  proved  to  be,  took  him  to 
a  small  rocky  island,  which  served  them  for  a  retreat. 
This  island  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  circumfer- 
ence. A  number  of  other  like  men  were  there  when 
they  arrived.  Kothen  was  taken  to  a  cave  and  intro- 
duced to  an  old  woman,  whom  they  called  mother. 
They  told  her  they  had  got  a  priest.  She  answered, 
"  Thank  you,  my  sons,  to-morrow  is  the  Sabbath,  and 
we  shall  have  a  sermon,  which  I  have  not  heard  for 
several  years."  lie  was  much  tried  at  the  expectation 
thus  raised  respecting  him.  Fears  for  his  life  deterred 
him  from  undeceiving  these  people.  He  spent  the  night 
in  great  anxiety,  which  was  increased  by  several  more 
pirates  coming  into  the  cave. 

When  morning  came,  he  arose  and  walked  to  and 
fro,  still  shut  up  in  darkness  and  distress,  striving  with 
all  his  might  to  collect  something,  but  could  not,  one 
single  sentence.  The  pirates  made  preparations  for  the 
meeting,  putting  on  their  best  clothing,  &c.  At  the 
appointed  time  he  went  to  the  cave,  where  he  found 
them  assembled,  and  a  table  with  a  Bible  on  it,  and  a 
seat  provided  for  him.  Upon  sitting  down,  they  all 
continued,  he  believed,  the  space  of  half  an  hour  in 
profound  silence,  when  the  exercise  and  anguish  of  his 
soul  were  as  great  as  it  seemed  possible  for  human  na- 
ture to  bear,  and  he  supplicated  for  Divine  help. 

At  length  the  words  came  before  him:  "  Yerily 
there  is  a  reward  for  the  righteous.  Yerily  He  is  a 
God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth."  With  these  words  he 
arose,  and  having  delivered  them,  some  other  pertinent 
matter  presented,  and  so  on,  from  less  to  more,  until 
his  understanding  became  opened,  and  his  heart  en- 
larged, in  a  manner  wonderful  to  himself,  to  treat  on 
subjects  suiting  their  condition,  such  as  the  excellent 
rewards  for  the  righteous ;  the  just  judgments  of  God 


4  REMARKABLE  CONVERSION  OF  A.   E.  KOTHEN. 

awaiting  the  wicked ;  the  necessity  of  repentance  and 
amendment  of  life  ;  the  universality  of  the  love  of  God 
to  the  children  of  men.  As  he  went  on  thus  speaking 
to  them,  he  was  the  more  affected,  as  he  felt  the  sinful 
state  of  his  own  heart,  and  the  hope  that  was  now  set 
hefore  him  also,  through  sincere  repentance  and  faith 
in  Christ  our  Lord.  Those  poor  people  were  most  of 
them  hroken  into  tenderness,  and  wept  to  such  a  de- 
gree that  the  floor  was  wet  with  their  tears.  Kothen 
was  no  less  astonished  at  the  goodness,  power  and  love 
of  an  Almighty  Creator,  in  thus  interfering  for  the  sav- 
ing of  both  his  natural  and  spiritual  life ;  and  wel1 
might  he  exclaim,  "  This  is  the  Lord's  doing,  it  is  mar- 
vellous in  our  eyes."  Under  an  awful  sense  of  the  favor, 
his  heart  became  filled  with  such  thankful  acknowledg- 
ments as  were  beyond  the  power  of  language  to  convey. 

Aiter  the  meeting,  the  old  woman  took  him  into  her 
arms  with  motherly  affection.  She  directed  a  boat  to 
take  him  to  Abo,  with  all  his  baggage.  The  men,  too, 
were  loving  and  affectionate,  willing  to  show  him  all 
the  kindness  in  their  power.  He  thenceforth  became 
an  entirely  changed  man,  having  entered  into  covenant 
with  his  Maker,  which  it  is  believed  he  sought  to  keep. 
He  settled  in  the  south  of  France,  and  lived  a  number 
of  years  afterwards. 

The  foregoing  is  mostly  prepared  from  accounts  given 
by  Stephen  Grellet,  an  eminent  minister  of  the  Gospel 
in  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  who  was  personally  ac- 
quainted with  A.  E.  Kothen. 


No.  148. 

A  VISIT  TO  ITALY 

AND 

pope  pius  m, 

BY 

STEPHEN  GrRELLET. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS. 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 


1885. 


A  Visit  to  Italy  and  Pope  Pins  VII., 

BY  STEPHEN  GRELLET. 


In  the  year  1813,  Stephen  Grellet,  a  Frenchman  re- 
siding in  America,  and  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  in  the 
Society  of  Friends,  while  on  a  second  visit  to  Europe  on 
religious  service,  came  to  Genoa,  in  Italy.  At  this 
place  a  remarkable  circumstance  took  place,  which  he 
describes  in  the  following  language  : 

"  During  my  tarriance  at  Genoa,  I  was  introduced 
into  very  close  exercise  of  mind  and  trial  of  faith.  Deep 
had  been  my  concern  on  account  of  various  parts  of 
Italy — Rome,  Naples,  &c, — places  that  I  had  felt  for  in 
years  past,  with  an  apprehension  that  I  should  be  re- 
quired to  visit  them  in  Gospel  love.  I  thought  that  the 
time  had  come  for  me  to  engage  in  that  sendee,  es- 
pecially as  I  was  then  in  Italy." 

"  I  concluded  to  try  to  go  there  by  sea,  by  way  of  Leg- 
horn. As  I  was  going  to  engage  my  passage  for  that 
port,  my  mind  was  introduced  into  unutterable  distress 
— gross  darkness  seemed  to  be  before  me,  whilst  a 
bright  stream  of  light  was  behind.  I  stood  still  for  a 
while,  and  found  I  could  not  go  forward.  I  returned 
to  my  lodgings,  and  in  my  chamber  poured  forth  my 
soul  unto  the  Lord,  entreating  him  to  direct  me  aright. 
He  knew  it  was  in  obedience  to  his  Divine  will  that  I 
had  come  to  these  nations,  and  that  to  his  Divine  guid- 
ance and  almighty  protection  I  had  wholly  committed 


4 


A    VISIT    TO  ITALY,  ETC., 


myself  and  my  all.   He  very  graciously  condescended 
to  be  near  to  me  in  my  distress,  and  to  hear  the  voice 
of  my  supplication.    He  gave  me  to  see,  and  strongly 
to  feel,  that  to  Rome,  Naples,  &c,  I  should  indeed  go, 
that  I  had  baptisms  there  to  be  baptized- with,  but  that 
the  time  for  it  had  not  yet  come,  and  the  language  of 
the  Spirit  was  to  proceed  with  all  speed  for  Geneva  and 
Switzerland.    My  soul  was  greatly  humbled  and  ten- 
dered before  the  Lord,  who  thus  condescended  to  in- 
struct his  poor  servant,  and  to  direct  him  in  the  way 
which  He  would  have  him  to  go.    I  remembered  with 
awful  reverence  and  gratitude  the  gracious  promise 
made  me,  before  I  left  America,  when,  contemplating 
the  extent  and  magnitude  of  the  Lord's  work  to  which  I 
was  called,  my  soul  was  dismayed  :    *  I  will  teach  thee 
and  instruct  thee  in  the  way  in  which  thou  goest,  I  will 
guide  thee  with  mine  eye.'    Now  I  saw  how  wonder- 
fully my  blessed  Lord  and  Redeemer  fulfilled  his  Divine 
word,  and  He  also  renewed  a  little  faith  in  the  safety  of 
his  guidance  and  almighty  protection." 

In  the  course  of  his  third  visit  to  Europe,  in  the  year 
1819,  Stephen  Grelletwas  enabled,  by  a  close  attention 
to  his  Divine  Guide,  to  escape  many  dangers  and  to 
reach  Naples  in  safety.  Here  he  was  engaged  with 
boldness  and  faithfulness  to  bear  a  testimony,  which  he 
felt  required  of  him,  against  the  gross  superstitions  that 
were  manifest,  and  also  to  direct  his  hearers  to  the  alone 
source  of  Avorship  and  adoration.  On  the  22d  of  11th 
month  he  thus  writes : 

"  To-day  I  visited  the  Foundling  Hospital,  which  is 
a  very  large  establishment,  The  mortality  among  the 
children  admitted  here  is  not  as  great  as  in  similar 
places  in  Russia.  About  eighty  nuns  have  the  princi- 
pal charge  of  it.  In  one  part  there  are  about  four  hun- 
dred girls,  most  of  whom  have  attained  the  age  of  young 


BY    STEPHEN  QEKLLKT. 


5 


women.  It  is  a  kind  of  convent.  As  I  was  going 
through  a  long  corridor,  accompanied  by  several  of  the 
nuns  and  priests  attached  to  this  extensive  institution, 
we  passed  the  door  of  their  chapel,  which  was  open.  I 
saw  the  girls,  with  several  nuns,  on  their  knees  before 
a  large  Madonna,  or  representation  of  the  Virgin  Mary, 
very  richly  and  finely  dressed.  TTax  candles  were 
burning  before  it.  They  were  singing  to  the  image, 
but  at  the  same  time  their  faces  were  towards  us.  laugh- 
ing. My  soul  was  sorrowful  on  beholding  them,  and 
their  superstition  and  idolatry.  The  chief  of  the  priests 
who  were  with  me  asked  if  I  did  not  wish  to  go  to  see 
the  girls  at  their  devotions.  I  told  him  I  should  like 
to  do  so  if  it  were  proper.  I  felt  a  strong  inclination  to 
go  in,  but,  as  from  religious  principle  I  do  not  uncover 
my  head  In  any  place  as  if  it  was  holy  ground,  I  was 
unwilling  to  give  offence  to  anv  one  bv  j?oin*r  in.  The 
nuns  said  nobody  here  would  be  offended  at  it.  The 
priests  also  said  :  6  vVe  have  on  our  heads  our  cassocks: 
your  hat  is  to  you  no  more  than  these  are  to  us,  es- 
pecially as  it  is  from  religious  principle  that  you  act." 
Then  I  told  them  I  would  go  in,  on  condition,  that,  if  I 
apprehended  it  was  required  of  me  by  the  Lord  to  com- 
municate anything  to  the  young  women  thus  assembled, 
he,  the  chief  priest,  who  spoke  good  French,  would  in- 
terpret for  in      He  very  readily  agreed  to  do  so. 

••  We  all  went  in.  Besides  the  girls,  most  of  the  nuns 
were  about  their  great  Madonna.  "VThen  they  had  con- 
cluded singing  their  hymn.  I  told  them  how  greatly  my 
heart  had  been  pained,  as  I  passed  by,  on  seeing  the 
lightness  of  their  conduct  whilst  engaged  in  what  they 
call  a  devotional  act ;  that  I  could  not,  however,  be  sur- 
prised at  it.  if  they  truly  looked  on  that  image  before 
them  as  what  it  really  is — nothing  but  a  piece  of  wood, 
carved  by  man's  device,  which  can  neither  hear,  nor 


6 


A    VISIT    TO    ITALY,  ETC., 


see,  neither  do  good  nor  evil  to  any ;  our  devotion,  I  said, 
is  to  be  to  Him  who  sees  the  secret  of  our  hearts,  hears 
not  our  words  only,  but  knoweth  our  every  thought ; 
from  Him  we  have  everything  to  fear  if  we  do  not  serve, 
obey,  and  honor  Him ;  and  the  richest  blessings  to  hope 
for  if  we  love,  fear,  and  serve  Him.  The  worship  ac- 
ceptable to  Him  is  to  be  performed  in  spirit  and  in 
truth,  from  the  very  heart.  This  is  the  temple  in  which 
He  is  to  be  found,  and  in  which  He  revealeth  himself. 
Here,  at  noonday,  they  have  lighted  tapers,  which  can- 
not enable  them  to  discover  the  sinfulness  of  the  heart, 
but  the  light  of  Christ,  which  enlightens  every  man  that 
cometh  into  the  world,  and  by  which  everything  with 
which  He  has  a  controversy  is  made  manifest,  showeth 
us  our  sins,  that  Ave  may  look  upon  Him  whom,  by  our 
sins  we  have  pierced.  He  is  the  Saviour  of  all  those 
that  come  to  Him  in  faith  and  true  repentance. 

"  Then  I  proceeded  to  proclaim  to  them  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  Saviour  of  sinners,  the  only 
hope  of  salvation,  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life,  with- 
out whom  no  man  can  come  to  God  the  Father ;  all 
that  pretend  to  enter  by  any  other  way  than  by  Him, 
the  door,  are  accounted  as  thieves  and  robbers.  The 
priest  interpreted  faithfully  into  Italian,  of  which  I 
could  judge.  The  nuns  and  the  other  priests  said  sev- 
eral times,  '  this  is  the  truth,'  or,  '  it  is  so.'  The 
countenances  of  the  girls  had  much  altered ;  they  hung 
down  their  heads,  and  tears  flowed  from  some  of  their 
eyes." 

"  After  we  came  out,  some  more  of  the  nuns  collected 
about  us,  and,  in  answering  some  of  their  questions,  I 
further  unfolded  to  them  what  acceptable  worship  to 
God  consists  in,  and  also  what  is  the  only  hope  of  sal- 
vation. ~No  man  can  save  his  brother  or  give  to  God  a 
ransom  for  his  soul ;  that,  therefore,  it  is  great  presump- 


BY    STEPHEN  ORELLET. 


7 


tion  for  any  to  attempt  to  take  upon  themselves  to  pro- 
nounce absolution  from  sin,  on  a  sinner. 

"  After  opportunities  of  this  sort  I  sometimes  marvel 
that  they  do  not  lay  their  hands  upon  me ;  but  here,  on 
the  contrary,  they  parted  from  me  in  tenderness,  and 
with  expressions  of  their  satisfaction  with  my  visit. 
Surely  this  is  the  Lord's  doing;  blessed  and  reverend 
is  his  name." 

The  next  day  he  writes :  "  I  feel  now  as  if  I  must 
hasten  to  Rome ;  various  objects,  under  other  circum- 
stances, migh  claim  a  few  days  of  my  time.  Vesuvius 
displays  a  grand  sight;  in  the  day  thick  columns  of 
smoke  rise  up  to  a  considerable  height ;  at  night,  they 
are  blazing  pillars.  At  a  short  distance  from  here  are 
excavations  made  into  the  streets  of  Herculaneum  and 
Pompeii,  long  buried  under  beds  of  lava,  on  which  vine- 
yards are  now  planted.  But  though  as  a  man  I  should 
be  greatly  interested  in  visiting  them,  they  are  not  the 
objects  for  which  my  great  and  blessed  Master  lias  sent 
me  to  these  nations.  With  singleness  of  heart  I  must 
prosecute  the  business  to  which  He  has  called  me.  My 
bonds  for  Rome  also  feel  so  heavy,  that  I  could  not  have 
any  pleasure  in  those  things  which,  were  I  differently 
circumstanced,  would  interest  me  so  much.  It  has  in- 
deed been  so  with  me  for  years  past;  though  in  the 
course  of  my  travels  I  am  among,  or  pass  near,  objects 
of  great  curiosity,  and  I  have  from  early  life  taken  great 
interest  in  such  things,  yet  the  discipline  under  which 
the  Lord  has  kept  me,  and  the  weight  of  the  religious 
service  to  which  He  has  called  me,  have  been  such  that 
I  have  not  felt  at  liberty  to  turn  out  of  my  way  in  trav- 
elling, or  to  tarry  longer  in  any  place,  merely  to  gratify 
in  v  self." 

*>  • 
From  Rome  under  date  of  25th  of  11th  month,  he 

writes  :    "  Travelling  two  nights  and  one  day,  I  ar- 


8 


A   VISIT    TO    ITALY,  ETC., 


rived  here  early  this  morning.  Through  the  Lord's 
merciful  preservation,  I  have  again  escaped  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  handitti  which  abound  on  this  road, 
notwithstanding  the  severity  of  the  laws  against  them. 
Every  few  miles  I  beheld  the  horrible  sight  of  human 
flesh,  hanging  on  posts  by  the  sides  of  the  road,  near 
the  places  where  murders  have  been  committed,  giving 
evidence  that  they  have  been  many.  Some  of  these  ap- 
peared to  have  been  quartered  only  a  few  days  before  ; 
but,  notwithstanding  all  this,  robberies  and  murders  are 
no  less  frequent,  especially  on  the  Pope's  territory. 
How  often  in  these,  my  journeyings,  do  I  feel  as  if  my 
life  was  offered  up  ;  day  after  day,  and  night  after  night, 
I  know  not  but  that  I  may  fall  a  prey  to  the  hands  of 
unrighteous  and  wicked  men  ;  but  very  good  and  gra- 
cious is  my  blessed  Lord  ;  how  precious  is  the  sense  of 
his  Divine  presence  !  David  said,  '  Thou  art  continually 
with  me.'  Truly  I  may  say  so  likewise;  the  fear  of 
offending  so  good  and  gracious  a  Master,  was,  during 
these  nights,  or  under  such  circumstances,  greater  than 
any  apprehension  of  what  may  be  suffered  to  befall  my 
outward  man." 

"  I  had  been  two  nights  and  one  day  on  the  road,  but 
the  great  weight  of  exercise  on  my  mind  prevented  my 
feeling  much  weariness.  I  was  now  in  the  place  for 
which  I  had  deeply  felt  for  years.  My  rest  was  to  see 
what  my  great  Master  had  for  me  to  do,  and  to  endea- 
vor to  engage  in  it,  though  it  might  be  to  enter  into 
bonds  and  sufferings  ;  for  truly,  like  Paul,  I  do  not 
know  what  things  are  to  befall  me." 

"  I  now  wait  to  see  what  may  be  unfolded  for  me  to 
do  here.  Great  is  the  travail  of  my  soul,  that  I  may  be 
preserved  watchful  unto  prayer,  and  enabled  with  single- 
ness of  heart  and  faithfulness,  to  attend  to  all  my  Lord's 
requirings." 


BY    STEPHEN  GRELLET. 


9 


He  now  felt  a  requisition  of  duty  to  visit  a  number 
of  institutions  in  Rome,  that  were  established  and  man- 
aged by  Roman  Catholics.  He  had  been  provided  with 
letters  addressed  to  Cardinal  Consalvi,  Prime  Minister 
to  the  Pope,  which  had  been  given  him  by  men  of  much 
influence,  whom  he  met  in  Corfu  and  Xaples.  This  in- 
troduction was  the  means  of  opening  his  way  in  carry- 
ing out  his  concern  to  bear  a  faithful  testimony  for  his 
Master,  in  hospitals,  prisons,  schools,  a  nunnery,  the  In- 
quisition and  to  many  seekers  after  the  truth  who 
called  upon  him.    Of  these  engagements  he  says  : 

"  It  is  marvellous  that,  though  these  religious  services 
bring  me  into  contact  with  so  many  priests,  monks  and 
nuns,  when  they  hear  doctrines  so  new  to  them,  which 
also  strike  at  the  root  of  Popery,  no  one  has  yet  made 
an  objection;  but,  on  my  taking  leave  of  them,  they 
treat  me  with  kindness ;  some  even  say  that  they  are 
persuaded  that  it  is  the  love  of  Christ  that  constrains  me 
to  visit  them." 

At  length  he  felt  that  he  "  should  not  be  acquitted  in 
the  Divine  sight  without  attempting "  a  visit  to  the 
Pope.  Through  Cardinal  Consalvi,  arrangements  were 
made  for  a  private  interview  in  the  palace.  This  took 
place  on  the  ninth  of  12th  month,  and  is  thus  described 
by  S.  G.  : 

"  In  a  large  parlor  were  several  priests ;  among  these 
the  one  provided  by  Consalvi  to  go  in  with  me  to  the 
Pope.  One  dressed  like  a  Cardinal,  but  who  is  the 
Pope's  valet  de  chambre,  opened  the  door  of  his  cabinet 
and  said  in  Italian,  '  The  Quaker  has  come when 
the  Pope  said,  'Let  him  come  in;'  on  which  the 
priest,  who  was  to  act  as  interpreter,  led  me  in,  no  one 
else  being  present.  As  I  was  entering  the  door,  some 
one  behind  me  gently,  but  quickly,  took  ofT  my  hat,  and 


10 


A    VISIT    TO    ITALY,  ETC., 


before  I  could  look  for  it,  the  door  was  quietly  closed 
upon  us  three. 

"  The  Pope  is  an  old  man  ;  very  thin,  of  a  mild,  se- 
rious countenance.  The  whole  of  his  apartment  is  very 
plain.  He  was  sitting  before  a  table.  His  dress  was  a 
long  robe  of  fine,  white  worsted,  and  a  small  cap  of  the 
same  (the  Cardinals  have  it  red).  He  had  a  few  papers 
and  books  before  him.  He  rose  from  his  seat  when  I 
came  in,  but  as  he  is  but  feeble,  he  soon  sat  down  again. 
He  had  read  my  reports  to  the  Cardinal,  respecting 
many  of  the  visits  I  had  made  in  Rome  to  prisons, 
&c.  He  entered  feelingly  on  some  of  these  subjects,  and 
intends  to  see  that  the  treatment  of  prisoners  and  of  the 
poor  boys  in  the  House  of  Correction,  and  various  other 
subjects  that  I  have  mentioned,  should  be  attended  to, 
so  that  Christian  tenderness  and  care  be  exercised. 
Means,  as  he  said,  more  likely  to  succeed  to  promote 
reform  among  them  than  harsh  treatment. 

"  He  reprobates  the  conduct  of  their  missionaries  in 
Greece ;  also  the  burning  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  by  the 
priests  and  bishops  in  several  places.  He  acknowledges, 
like  Consalvi,  that  it  militates  much  against  the  pro- 
motion of  pure  Christianity,  and  is  more  likely  further 
to  darken  the  minds  of  the  mass  of  the  people,  than  to 
enlighten  them.  On  the  subject  of  the  Inquisition,  he 
said  he  was  pleased  I  had  seen  for  myself  what  great 
changes  had  been  brought  about  in  Rome,  in  this  re- 
spect. That  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  could  have  it 
effected.  That  he  has  made  many  efforts  to  have 
.similar  alterations  introduced  into  Spain  and  Portugal. 
-  Had  succeeded  in  part  to  have  the  Inquisition  in  those 
nations  conducted  with  less  rigor,  but  was  far  from 
having  yet  obtained  his  wishes.  '  Men,'  he  said,  '  think 
that  a  Pope  has  plenitude  of  power  in  his  hands,  but 
they  are  much  mistaken  ;  my  hands  are  greatly  tied  in 


BY    STEPUEX  GRELLET. 


11 


many  things.'  He,  however,  expressed  his  hope  that 
the  time  was  not  far  distant  when  Inquisitions  every- 
where will  be  totally  done  away.  He  assented  to  the 
sentiment,  that  God  alone  has  a  right  to  the  conscience 
of  man,  and  that  the  weapons  of  a  Christian  should 
not  he  carnal  hut  spiritual.  The  fruits  of  the  Spirit  be- 
ing described,  he  said  that  to  produce  such  and  for  the 
same  end,  should  spiritual  weapons  be  used. 

"  I  represented  to  him  what  I  had  beheld  in  many 
places  in  Europe,  and  the  West  Indies,  of  the  depravity 
and  vices  of  many  priests  and  monks,  what  a  reproach 
they  are  to  Christianity,  and  what  corruption  they  are  the 
means  of  spreading  widely  over  the  mass  of  the  people. 
I  then  stated  what  is  the  sacred  office  of  a  minister  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  a  priest  of  God  ;  what  the  quali- 
fications for  that  office  should  be,  and  who  alone  can 
bestow  them. 

"  As  I  was  speaking  on  these  and  other  subjects  con- 
nected therewith,  the  Pope  said  several  times,  on  look- 
ing at  the  priest  present,  '  These  things  are  true.'  And 
the  priest's  answer  was,  '  They  are  so.'  Other  subjects 
were  treated  upon,  as,  the  kingdom  of  God,  the  govern- 
ment of  Christ  in  his  church,  to  whom  alone  the  rule 
and  dominion  belong.  That  He  is  the  only  door,  the 
only  Saviour,  and  that  those  who  attempt  to  enter  in  by 
any  other  door  but  Him,  are  accounted  as  thieves  and 
robbers. 

"  Finally,  as  I  felt  the  love  of  Christ  flowing  in  my 
heart  towards  him,  I  particularly  addressed  him.  I  al- 
luded to  the  various  sufferings  he  underwent  from  the 
hands  ofXapoleon;  the  deliverance  granted  him  from 
the  Lord;  and  queried  whether  his  days  were  not 
lengthened  out  to  enable  him  to  glorify  God,  and  exalt 
the  name  of  the  Lord  our  Redeemer,  Jesus  Christ,  as 
the  only  Head  of  the  church,  the  only  Saviour,  to  whom 


12 


A    VISIT    TO  ITALY,  ETC. 


alone  every  knee  is  to  bow,  and  every  tongue  is  to  con- 
fess. That  such  a  confession  from  him  in  his  old  age, 
would  do  more  towards  the  advancement  of  Christ's 
kingdom  and  the  promotion  of  his  glory,  than  the  au- 
thority of  all  the  Popes,  his  predecessors,  was  ever  able 
to  do.  Moreover,  that  thereby  his  sun,  now  near  set- 
ting, would  go  down  with  brightness,  and  his  portion 
in  eternity  would  be  with  the  sanctified  ones,  in  the 
joys  of  his  salvation.  The  Pope,  whilst  I  thus  addressed 
him,  kept  his  head  inclined  and  appeared  tender.  Then 
rising  from  his  seat,  in  a  kind  and  respectful  manner 
he  expressed  a  desire  that '  the  Lord  would  bless  and 
protect  me  wherever  I  go ;'  on  which  I  left  him. 

"  On  returning  to  the  other  apartment,  my  hat  was 
given  me,  and  excuses  made  for  having  taken  it  away, 
stating  that,  as  this  is  done  when  our  friends  appear  be- 
fore the  King  in  England,  they  thought  they  could  not 
do  otherwise  on  the  present  occasion.  They  also  said : 
'  The  Pope  must  have  been  much  pleased  with  your 
visit,  for  we  have  never  known  him  to  give  one-half  so 
much  time  to  anybody  in  a  private  audience,  nor  con- 
versing with  them  as  he  has  done  with  you.'  My  soul 
magnifies  the  Lord,  my  strength  and  my  help.  The 
work  is  his,  and  the  glory  also  !  May  He  bless  the  work 
of  his  own  hands  ! 

"  The  priest  who  was  with  me  before  the  Pope,  was 
very  tender,  and  has  now  taken  leave  of  me  in  great  af- 
fection. Con  sal  vi  met  me  as  I  came  down  from  the 
Pope's  apartment.  He  renewed  the  expression  of  his 
desire  to  serve  me  whenever  he  can ;  and  in  Christian 
love,  we  took  a  solemn  farewell  of  one  another." 


No.  149. 


ON  WOESHIP. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
JTo.  304  Arch  Street. 

1886. 


ON  WORSHIP. 


The  worship  of  Almighty  God  is  the  most  solemn 
act  the  mind  of  man  is  capable  of  being  engaged  in. 
It  is  an  intercourse  between  Him  and  us,  in  which  the 
soul,  divested  of  outward  things,  pours  forth  all  its 
wants  into  the  bosom  of  an  Almighty  Friend,  and  by 
the  influence  of  the  vital  beams  of  his  light  and  love 
receives  ability  to  answer  his  will  either  in  vocal  or 
silent  returns  of  its  grateful  acknowledgments  and 
praise.  This  devotion  requires  a  considerable  degree 
of  abstraction  from  the  world;  that  we  hear  little  of  it 
is  not  wonderful.  Superstition  has  placed  it  in  opin- 
ions, ceremonies,  austerities,  pilgrimages,  an  august 
temple,  or  splendid  imagery,  which  have  little  con- 
nexion with  sentiment  or  spirit.  Enthusiasm  has  ob- 
truded a  spurious  offspring  on  the  world,  instead  of 
this  legitimate  child  of  truth,  whilst  the  lukewarm 
have  rested  in  a  few  outward  duties,  which  have  had 
no  vigor,  and  as  they  spring  not  from  the  heart,  never 
enter  the  temple  of  the  Most  High.  Real  piety  is  of  a 
very  different,  and  of  a  much  more  animated  nature ; 
it  looks  up  to  God;  sees,  hears,  feels  him  in  every 
event,  in  every  vicissitude,  in  all  places,  and  upon  all 
occasions.  It  is  theory  verified  by  experience,  it  is 
faith  substantiated  by  mental  enjoyment,  it  is  heaven 
transplanted  into  the  human  bosom,  it  is  the  radiance 
of  the  divinity  warming  and  encircling  man.    It  is  a 


4 


ON  WORSHIP. 


spiritual  sense  gratified  by  spiritual  sensations;  with- 
out this  all  ceremonies  are  inefficacious ;  books,  prayers, 
sacraments,  and  meditations,  are  a  body  without  a 
soul.  That  man  is  capable  of  such  an  intercourse 
with  his  Maker,  there  are  many  living  witnesses  to 
prove.  When  minds  are  in  an  assimilating  state  of 
purity,  they  have  this  union  with  their  Maker.  This 
was  the  bliss  of  paradise  :  sin  interrupted,  and  holiness 
only  can  restore  it ;  to  a  soul  thus  prepared  the  Creator 
communicates  himself,  in  a  manner,  which  is  as  insen- 
sible to  the  natural  eye,  as  the  falling  of  dews,  but  not 
less  refreshing  to  its  secret  powers,  than  that  is  to 
vegetation. 

This  worship  being  produced  by  the  immediate  in- 
fluence of  the  Holy  Spirit  which  it  is  not  in  the  power 
of  man  to  command,  he  must  reverently  wait  for  it,  as 
Avell  in  his  more  private  approaches  to  the  Sacred 
Presence,  as  in  the  public  assemblies  for  the  worship  of 
the  true  God.  ISTor  can  the  duties  of  preaching  the 
gospel,  or  of  vocal  prayer  or  praise  be  rightly  per- 
formed but  by  the  same  quickening  virtue  immediately 
exciting  thereto.  Every  thinking  person,  who  is  in 
any  degree  sensible  of  the  love  and  fear  of  God,  must 
esteem  it  an  awful  thing  to  present  himself  to  the 
especial  notice  of  the  Infinite,  Omnipresent,  Eternal 
Being;  and  in  consideration  of  his  high  and  incon- 
ceivable majesty,  it  is  our  duty  to  approach  Him  with 
the  greatest  reverence.  Hence  the  propriety  of  the 
exhortation  "  Keep  thy  foot  when  thou  goest  to  the 
house  of  God,  (or  enterest  upon  worship,)  and  be  more 


OH  WORSHIP. 


5 


ready  to  hear,  than  to  give  the  sacrifice  of  fools ;  for 
they  consider  not  that  they  do  evil.  Be  not  rash  with 
thy  mouth,  and  let  not  thy  heart  be  hasty  to  utter  any 
thing  before  God ;  for  God  is  in  heaven  and  thou  upon 
earth,  theiefore  let  thy  words  be  few."*  That  public 
worship  is  an  incumbent  duty,  is  manifest  from  the 
practice  and  exhortations  of  Christ  and  his  apostles  ; 
and  its  benefits  are  evinced  not  only  by  the  experience 
of  those  who  observe  it,  but  by  the  dissipation  and 
licentiousness  which  prevail  where  its  obligation  is 
wholly  disregarded. 

Christ  has  instructed  his  disciples  to  believe,  that 
"  where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  his  name, 
there  he  is  in  the  midst  ot  them."f  As  no  formal  acts 
without  his  spirit  can  constitute  divine  worship,  we 
must  wait  for  this  needful  qualification.  If  the  wor- 
ship of  God  depended  upon  the  organic  powers  of  our 
nature,  and  could  not  be  performed  without  them,  then 
it  must  be  in  part  a  carnal,  and  not  a  purely  spiritual 
worship.  Xo  forms  of  devotion  invented  by  men  can 
supply  the  place  of  the  Spirit.  The  apostle  says,  "  the 
Spirit  helpeth  our  infirmities ;  "J  "  through  him  we 
both  have  access  by  one  spirit  unto  the  Father. "§  It 
is  not  doubted  that  the  Spirit  of  Christ  may  authorize 
and  accompany  vocal  acts  of  worship  ;  but  where  an 
assembly  without  waiting  for  the  mind  of  the  Spirit, 
immediately  proceeds  to  formal  acts,  there  is  danger  of 
departing  from  the  will  of  God  and  fulfilling  the  will 
of  man  alone.  Seeing  then,  that  both  our  help  and 
*Ecclee.  v.  1,  2.    tMatt.  xviii.  20.    %  Rom.  viii.  26.    \  Ephes.  ii.  18. 


G 


ON  WORSHIP, 


access  are  through  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  the  renewal  of 
which  is  at  his  pleasure  and  not  ours,  we  must  neces- 
sarily wait  for  it.  This  waiting  must  be  in  stillness  of 
mind,  free  from  all  wandering  imaginations,  and  from 
the  expression  of  words ;  for  the  utterance  of  words  is 
not  waiting,  but  acting.  Words  are  necessary  to  convey 
the  sense  of  one  person  to  another,  but  not  to  that 
omniscient  Being  who  is  an  universal  Spirit,  and 
everywhere  Almighty,  who,  therefore,  stands  not  in 
need  of  the  use  of  corporeal  organs,  instruments,  or 
the  sound  of  words  to  communicate  with  the  spirit  of 
man.  As  worship  consists  not  in  words,  neither  does 
it  in  mere  silence,  but  in  an  holy  dependence  of  the 
mind  upon  God.  If  an  assembly  be  gathered  into  out- 
ward stillness,  and  do  not  attain  this  necessary  ab- 
straction of  mind,  pure  and  spiritual  worship  may  not 
be  performed.  It  is  therefore  the  business  of  all  those 
assembled,  reverently  to  wait  upon  God,  in  order  to 
feel  his  presence,  and  to  be  gathered  into  his  name, 
where  He  is  in  the  midst.  As  every  one  becomes  thus 
gathered,  the  secret  power  and  virtue  of  divine  Hfe 
is  known  to  refresh  the  soul.  And  if  there  be  not 
a  word  spoken,  yet  true  spiritual  worship  is  performed, 
and  the  body  of  Christ  edified. 

This  silent  waiting  is  so  contrary  to  the  wisdom  of 
man,  that  it  is  not  understood  or  practised  but  by  those 
who  become  subject  to  the  Divine  will ;  who  are  con- 
vinced that  words,  even  the  words  of  Scripture,  and  all 
outward  ceremony  are  altogether  insufficient  to  satisfy 
their  weary,  afflicted  souls  ;  for  where  all  these  are  used, 


ON  WORSHIP. 


7 


the  divine  life  and  power  may  be  wanting.  Feeling 
the  emptiness  of  mere  external  performances,  and  be- 
coming silently  attentive  to  the  manifestation  of  the 
spirit  in  the  heart,  the  most  excellent  teacher,  such  are 
taught  to  cease  from  their  own  works,  and  simply  to 
depend  upon  God,  that  as  He  influences  by  his  grace, 
they  may  be  qualified,  mentally  or  vocally,  to  worship 
before  him.  If,  in  order  to  worship,  the  mind  do  not 
settle  into  stillness,  the  passions  will  be  at  work,  and 
may  agitate  into  enthusiastic  heats  and  vague  im- 
aginations. But  in  true  stillness  and  singleness  of  soul 
towards  God,  they  are  silenced  and  subjected.  The  still 
small  voice  of  the  inspirer  of  all  good  then  comes  to  be 
heard,  and  the  mind  being  closely  engaged  in  attention 
thereto,  and  answering  it  in  faith  and  humble  sub- 
mission, feels  divine  life  and  love  spring  up,  and 
receives  ability  therein  truly  to  worship  the  great 
Author  of  its  existence,  with  a  devotion  which  no  forms 
can  reach.  This  worship  is  not  entered  upon  by 
totally  laying  aside  our  faculties  and  falling  into  a 
senseless  stupor,  as  some  may  imagine,  but  by  a  real 
introversion  of  mind,  an  attention  fixed  singly  upon 
the  alone  object  of  all  adoration,  in  patient,  yet  fervent 
desire  after  him.  And  without  the  intervention  of 
words,  the  spiritual  strength  of  those  thus  exercised, 
is  often  renewed,  and  their  souls  nourished  by  the 
holy  fellowship  and  communion  of  the  body  and  blood 
of  Christ.  Monro,  in  his  "  Just  measures  for  the 
pious  institution  of  Youth,"  speaking  of  devotion, 
says — "  WTien  the  devout  soul  is  disengaged  from  all 


8 


ON  WORSHIP. 


created  things,  from  sin  and  self,  and  corruption,  and 
firmly  believing  that  God  who  filleth  all  things,  is 
present  in  the  soul,  and  ready  to  display  his  power,  and 
communicate  his  light  and  graces,  doth  by  an  act 
of  faith,  state  himself  in  his  presence,  and  there  having 
turned  the  eye  of  the  soul  to  the  interior,  and  made  an 
entire  surrender  of  himself  into  the  hands  of  God, 
with  an  humble  desire,  that  he  would  dispose  of  him  as 
he  pleases,  and  that  his  holy  will  may  be  done  in  him ; 
he  continues  in  a  profound  silence  and  recollection,  wait- 
ing for  the  divine  good  pleasure.  The  blessed  God,  as 
the  experience  of  many  eminently  devout  persons  doth 
abundantly  testify,  visits  these  souls  that  depend  on 
him,  with  his  peculiar  favours,  displays  in  them  the 
riches  of  his  power  and  grace,  and  makes  them  feel, 
in  an  ineffable  manner,  the  reality  of  his  presence 
in  their  inward  man;  whence  it  comes  to  pass,  that 
they  improve  wonderfully  in  every  thing  that  is  good, 
just,  and  true,  pure  and  lovely,  and  advance  with 
speed  towards  Christian  perfection." 

Silent  waiting  was  practised  among  the  prophets  and 
those  who  associated  with  them,  as  appears  in  the 
prophecy  of  Ezekiel.  The  spirit  of  the  prophet  was 
engaged  in  divine  vision  wdiilst  the  elders  of  Judah  sat 
before  him,  as  it  is  described  from  the  first  verse  of  the 
eighth  to  the  twenty-fourth  of  the  eleventh  chapter. 
During  the  time  of  this  vision  it  cannot  be  consistently 
supposed,  that  he  was  either  speaking  to  them, 
or  they  to  him,  or  to  each  other.  This  was  not  a  sin- 
gular instance  of  their  meeting  together,  for  it  was  the 


ON  WORSHIP. 


9 


manner  of  God's  people  to  congregate  with  the  proph- 
ets, as  this  close  reprehension  plainly  indicates  :  "  They 
come  unto  thee  as  the  people  cometh,  and  they  sit 
before  thee  as  my  people,  and  they  hear  thy  words,  but 
they  will  not  do  them."  The  prophet  Jeremiah  says, 
£<  The  Lord  is  good  unto  them  that  wait  for  him,  to  the 
soul  that  seeketh  him.  It  is  good  that  a  man  should 
both  hope  and  quietly  wait  for  the  salvation  of  the 
Lord."*  Its  advantages  are  further  shown  by  David 
and  Isaiah  :  "  I  waited  patiently  for  the  Lord,  and  he 
inclined  unto  me,  and  heard  my  cry."f  "And  it  shall 
be  said  in  that  day,  lo,  this  is  our  God,  we  have  waited 
for  him  and  he  will  save  us.  This  is  the  Lord,  we  have 
waited  for  him,  we  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  his  salva- 
tion."]; ISow,  how  can  we  practise  this  incumbent 
duty  of  waiting  upon  God,  and  watching  before  him, 
but  in  silence  ?  It  is  a  duty'  frequently  enjoined  in  the 
scriptures,  and  must  necessarily  precede  the  qualification 
for  the  performance  of  all  others  in  the  worship  of  God. 

When  the  time  appointed  to  end  the  ceremonial 
worship  of  the  law  had  come,  Jesus  Christ,  in  restoring 
the  true  spiritual  worship,  prescribed  no  set  form  to  his 
children  under  the  more  pure  administration  of  the 
new  covenant.  In  the  memorable  interview  with  the 
woman  at  Jacob's  well,  he  declared,  the  hour  cometh 
when  ye  shall  neither  in  this  mountain,  nor  yet  at 
Jerusalem,  (exclusively)  worship  the  Father.  But  the 
hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the  true  worshippers 
shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  for  the 

*  Lam.  iii.  25,  26.  f  Psal.  xl.  1.  J  Tsaiah,  xxv.  9. 


10 


ON  WORSHIP. 


Father  seeketh  such  to  worship  him.  God  is  a  spirit, 
and  they  that  worship  him,  must  worship  him  in  spirit 
and  in  truth."*  It  is  no  longer  then  a  worship  limited 
to  any  particular  place  and  consisting  of  outward 
observations  which  man  can  perform  when  he  pleases  : 
but  spiritual,  and  adapted  to  the  nature  of  the  great 
object  of  all  adoration  and  praise.  "We  are  exhorted 
diligently  to  assemble  for  the  purpose  of  Divine  worship, 
but  the  duties  of  preaching,  prayer,  and  singing,  and 
the  order  in  which  they  are  to  be  performed,  are  to  be 
subject  to  the  revelation  and  direction  of  the  spirit. 
The  apostles  "  spake  as  the  spirit  gave  utterance."f 
They  "  knew  not  what  to  pray  for  as  they  ought, 
but  the  spirit  helped  their  infirmities  and  made  inter- 
cession for  them  with  groanings  which  could  not 
be  uttered."|  "  They  prayed  with  the  spirit,  they  sang 
with  the  spirit  and  with  the  understanding  also."§ 
And  can  it  be  rationally  supposed  that  we  are  possessed 
of  powers  which  render  us  more  independent  than  they 
were  of  the  necessary  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ?  As  man 
is  excluded  from  acting  in  spiritual  things  in  his  own 
will,  he  must  wait  for  a  knowledge  of  his  duty,  and  the 
requisite  ability  to  perform  it. 

It  is  the  principal  work  of  a  Christian  to  know 
his  will  brought  into  subjection  to  the  divine  will,  for 
this  resignation  and  self-denial  the  Lord  chiefly  regards. 
Curious  speculations  on  religious  subjects  may  amuse 
the  mind,  but  being  the  fruit  of  man's  degenerate  will, 
they  cannot  contribute  to  the  work  of  sanctification 

*  John,  iv.  21,  23,  24.    f  Acts,  ii.  4.    %  Rom.  viii.  26.    \  1  Cor.  xiv.  15. 


OX    WORSHIP.  11 

and  redemption.  Some  may  endeavor  to  terrify  them- 
selves from  sin,  by  thoughts  of  death  and  eternal 
judgment ;  or  presenting  to  their  imaginations  the 
joys  of  heaven,  may  think  to  merit  them  by  a  repetition 
of  prayers  and  other  religious  performances  ;  yet  these 
exercises,  without  the  inward  power  of  God's  grace, 
can  never  deliver  the  soul  from  one  iniquity,  but  are 
rejected  by  Him,  as  not  being  the  product  of  that 
divine  seed  of  righteousness  given  for  salvation,  the 
fruit  of  which  only,  whether  a  sigh  or  a  groan,  is 
accepted  of  God.  When  the  soul  is  brought  into  this 
state  of  silence  and  nothingness,  the  enemy  of  man's 
happiness  is  excluded ;  for  he  that  of  old  is  said  to 
have  come  to  the  assemblies  of  the  children  of  God, 
may  yet  deceive  the  soul  by  his  transformations,  and 
through  the  imagination,  influence  it  to  acts  of  sup- 
posed duty,  unless  it  maintain  this  state  of  humble 
watchfulness  before  the  Author  of  all  its  sure  mercies. 
Man  being  thus  reduced  into  entire  dependence  upon 
God,  the  little  seed  of  righteousness  planted  in  the 
soul,  which  Christ  has  purchased  for  his  salvation,  and 
which  is  oppressed  by  his  creaturely  thoughts  and 
imaginations,  receives  a  place  to  arise,  and  by  waiting 
therein,  he  comes  to  be  accepted  in  the  sight  of  God, 
to  stand  in  his  presence,  hear  his  voice,  and  to  observe 
the  motions  of  his  spirit ;  and  if  whilst  in  this  depend- 
ent situation  there  are  any  objects  presented  to  the 
mind  concerning  God,  or  relating  to  his  religious  duty, 
he  may  be  exercised  in  them  to  his  own  benefit  and 
that  of  others.    But  if  it  please  God  when  any  are 


12 


ON  WORSHIP. 


thus  waiting  upon  him,  simply  to  keep  them  in  a  holy 
dependence,  and  as  they  continue  therein,  to  cause  the 
pure  incomes  of  his  holy  life  to  now  in  upon  them  they 
have  good  reason  to  he  satisfied,  because  by  this  the 
soul  is  more  strengthened  and  confirmed  in  the  love  of 
God,  and  armed  against  the  power  of  sin,  than  by  any 
other  means ;  this  being  a  foretaste  of  that  enjoyment 
of  God  which  the  saints  in  heaven  possess,  and  which 
he  frequently  affords  to  his  children  for  their  comfort 
and  encouragement,  especially  when  assembled  together 
to  wait  upon  him. 

Although  this  divine  and  spiritual  devotion  may  be 
experienced  when  our  hands  are  employed  in  the 
business  of  this  world,  and  no  doubt  many  pious  souls 
are  poured  out  before  God  in  secret,  under  a  thankful 
sense  of  his  mercy  and  his  grace,  yet  such  will  be  also 
drawn  to  assemble  together,  that  they  may  unite  in 
spirit  in  this  duty.  Those  who  sincerely  attend  to  it, 
will  know  the  promise  fulfilled ;  "  Even  the  youths 
shall  faint  and  be  weary,  and  the  young  men  shall 
utterly  fall ;  but  they  that  wTait  upon  the  Lord  shall 
renewr  their  strength ;  they  shall  mount  up  with  wings 
as  eagles,  they  shall  run  and  not  be  wreary,  and  they 
shall  walk  and  not  faint,"* 

*  Isaiah,  xl.  30,  31. 


No.  150. 


A  CONCISE  EXPLANATION 

OP  THE  VIEWS  RESPECTING  1 

LANGUAGE,  DRESS  AND  MANNERS 

OF  THE 

KELIGIOUS  SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS. 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1886. 


» 


A  Concise  Explanation,  &c. 


It  is  well  known  that  the  Society  of  Friends,  some- 
times called  Quakers,  has  adopted,  in  many  points, 
practices  very  different  from  those  of  the  Christian  com- 
munity in  general.  But  their  motives  for  doing  so,  it  is 
apprehended,  are  little  understood  by  many;  and  as 
they  have  scriptural  grounds  for  these  variations  from 
common  usage,  it  is  a  matter  of  some  moment  that  their 
views  should  he  explained,  in  order  that  they  may  not 
be  regarded  as  visionary.  Explanations  of  this  kind 
have  been  copiously  given  in  several  treatises  on  the 
principles  of  Friends,  already  published ;  but  as  these 
treatises,  from  their  size,  are  necessarily  limited  in  their 
circulation,  the  following  reasons,  in  a  more  compendi- 
ous form,  are  submitted  to  the  reader.* 

Our  blessed  Saviour  taught  his  followers  to  pray, 
"  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven." 
It  is  obedience  to  this  Divine  will  that  is  the  underly- 
ing principle  with  Friends  in  those  matters  relating  to 
language,  dress  and  manners,  which  distinguish  them 
from  other  Christian  professors.  These  testimonies,  as 
they  are  sometimes  termed,  are  a  result  of  the  revela- 
tions in  the  soul  of  the  Light  of  Christ,  a  manifestation 
of  which  is  given  to  every  man  to  profit  withal,  f 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  Friends  likely  to  arrest  at- 

*For  further  information  on  the  principles  of  Friends,  see  Barclay's 
Apology — Penn's  No  Cross  Xo  Crown — Evans'  Concise  Account  of 
Friends.  f  1  Cor.  xii.  7. 


4  A    CONCISE    EXPLANATION,  ETC. 

tention,isthe  disuse  of  complimentary  modes  of  Address. 
These,  it  is  presumed,  originate  in  a  disposition  to  grat- 
ify that  principle  in  the  human  mind,  which  loves  to  be 
thought  something  of ;  and  this  principle,  if  examined 
into,  will  he  found  to  have  its  root  in  pride,  either  of  cir- 
cumstances, character  or  station  in  life.  But  as  "the 
Lord  knoweth  the  proud  afar  off;"*  and  hateth  "  a  proud 
look;"f  and  "  will  destroy  the  house  of  the  proud  ;"J 
and  "  every  one  proud  in  heart  is  an  abomination  to  the 
Lord;"§  and  "  a  proud  heart  is  sin;"||  and  "God  re- 
sisteth  the  proud  ;"T  it  is  inconsistent  with  that  love 
which  "  worketh  no  ill  to  his  neighbor;"**  to  cherish 
this  pride.  For  this  reason  Friends  do  not  use  those 
complimentary  titles,  and  addresses,  which,  by  exciting 
and  fostering  the  pride  of  those  to  whom  they  are  ad- 
dressed, are  calculated  to  produce  feelings  the  very  oppo- 
site to  Christian  humility. 

The  Society  of  Friends  conceives  the  use  of  compli- 
mentary titles  to  be  clearly  forbidden  to  Christians,  by 
the  exhortations  of  their  great  Lord  and  Master,  "  Be 
not  ye  called  Rabbi;  for  one  is  your  Master,  even 
Christ;  and  all  ye  are  brethren."  And  in  the  follow- 
ing verse,  the  disciples  are  forbidden  to  desire  such 
compliments  ;  "  Neither  be  ye  called  Masters ;  for  one 
is  your  Master,  even  Christ. "ft  The  injurious  effect  ot 
a  desire  for  worldly  honor,  is  also  pointed  out  by  our 
Lord  in  the  following  expressions  :  "  How  can  ye  believe, 

*  Psalm,  cxxxviii.  6.    f  Prov.  vi.  17.     J  Ibid.  xv.  25.     |  Ibid.  xvi.  5. 
!]  Ibid.  xxi.  4.       James,  iv.  G.     1  Peter,  v.  5.     **  Romans,  xiii.  10. 
ff  Matthew,  xxiii.  8-10. 


A    CONCISE    EXPLANATION,  ETC. 


5 


which  receive  honor  one  of  another,  and  seek  not  the 
honor  that  cometh  from  God  only  ?"* 

The  Society  also  objects  to  the  custom  of  address- 
ing a  single  person  in  the  plural  number,  which  is 
believed  to  have  originated  in  the  practice  of  address- 
ing emperors  and  princes,  in  the  plural  term,  You,  by 
way  of  adulation, — a  form  of  address,  which,  in  this  day, 
has  become  extended  to  all  classes  of  society,  spoiling 
the  beauty,  and  the  distinctive  operation  of  our  lan- 
guage ;  as  well  as  departing  from  the  unvarying  Scrip- 
tural language  of  Thee  and  Thou  to  a  single  person. 

The  appellatives  Mr.,  Mrs.,  Miss  and  Sir,  have  like- 
wise been  avoided  by  the  Friends,  for  the  same  reasons. 
At  the  period  of  the  origin  of  this  people,  these  appel- 
latives were  considered  complimentary;  but  like  the 
address  of  the  plural  pronoun,  You,  to  one  individual, 
they  have,  at  this  day,  pervaded  all  ranks.  This  cir- 
cumstance may  be  traced  to  the  operation  of  a  disposi- 
tion in  the  human  mind,  prompting  persons  in  the  lower 
walks  of  life,  to  desire  the  same  gratifications  that  are 
indulged  in  by  those  in  the  higher  circles. 

Complimentary  modes  of  address  are  often  a  mere 
cloak  for  insincerity ;  they  do  not  constitute  an  integral 
part  of  true  politeness,  or  of  genuine  courtesy  of  man- 
ners. The  latter  have  their  origin  in  love  toward  our 
fellow-creatures,  and  in  proper  consideration  for  the 
feelings  of  those  around  us ;  in  doing,  in  short,  as  we 
would  be  done  by.  Where  such  dispositions  are  cher- 
ished, they  will  be  continually  prompting  their  posses- 

*  John,  v.  44. 


6 


A   CONCISE    EXPLANATION,  ETC. 


sor  to  the  spontaneous  exercise  of  the  minor  offices  of 
disinterestedness  and  benevolence,  and  they  will  cause 
"  the  law  of  kindness"  ever  to  dwell  on  his  lips.  These 
are  the  characteristics  of  the  true  gentleman;  and  it 
must  be  admitted,  that  they  greatly  enhance  the  sweets 
of  social  intercourse,  and  the  comforts  of  human  life. 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  thought  too  much,  by  some  per- 
sons in  the  present  day,  to  style  the  forms  of  address 
that  have  been  adverted  to,  complimentary,  unless  in  a 
negative  sense,  since  they  have  been  adopted  in  all 
ranks  of  society.  But  these  circumstances  do  not  alter 
the  fact,  that,  generally,  the  terms  in  question,  as  well 
as  many  of  the  complimentary  modes  of  address  in  com- 
mon use,  express  a  relation  of  superiority  and  servitude, 
not  existing  between  the  persons  using  them,  and  those 
to  whom  they  are  addressed,  and  consequently,  they 
are  not  strictly  consistent  with  Christian  sincerity.  In- 
stances also,  are  not  wanting  of  persons,  considering 
themselves  insulted  on  being  addressed  by  their  first 
names,  or  even  by  the  singular  pronoun,  Thou. 

It  is  sometimes  asked,  what  benefit  Friends  derive 
from  keeping  up  their  style  of  address,  in  the  disuse  of 
what  has  so  nearly  ceased  to  be  complimentary?  It 
may  be  replied,  that  in  addition  to  the  motive  before 
mentioned,  in  the  present  state  of  the  world,  retaining 
this  style  of  language,  which  at  once  marks  them  wher- 
ever they  go,  has  considerable  effect  in  preserving  those 
amongst  them,  of  little  religious  strength,  from  mixing 
in  the  dissipations  of  that  part  of  mankind  which  pro- 
fesses Christianity,  but  does  not  practise  it  ;  and  that  to 


A    CONCISE    EXPLANATION,  ETC. 


T 


protect  its  youth,  and  the  weak  among  its  members 
from  the  influence  of  injurious  company,  is  no  unim- 
portant part  of  the  duty  of  a  Christian  community. 

The  words,  "  good-bye,"  (contracted  from  God-be- 
with-you),  and  "  adieu,"  (an  expression  from  the  French, 
commending  to  God),  often  spoken  at  parting,  are  to  be 
avoided,  on  account  of  the  holy  name  of  God  being 
lightly  and  unthinkingly  used. 

The  appellations  of  Your  Majesty,  Your  Grace,  Your 
Excellency,  The  Honorable,  and  numerous  others  of  a 
similar  class,  clearly  rank  under  the  head  of  compli- 
mentary titles ;  and  are  to  be  distinguished  from  those 
of  station  or  ofhce,  such  as,  the  King,  the  Governor, 
the  Duke  of,  Doctor,  etc.,  which  Friends,  as  a  body, 
have  never  considered  it  their  duty  to  abstain  from. 

Complimentary  ecclesiastical  titles  are  considered  by 
the  Society  of  Friends,  as  calculated  to  produce  pride  in 
those  who  ought  to  be  examples  of  humility,  besides 
imputing  virtues  which  they  may  not  possess.  Hence 
they  do  not  style  a  Bishop,  The  Right  Reverend,  etc., 
or  a  Priest  or  Minister  of  Religion,  The  Reverend. 

The  objections  to  the  use  of  heathen  names  for  days 
and  months,  are  fully  set  forth  in  our  tract  on  that  sub- 
ject, to  which  the  reader  is  referred.* 

The  Society  of  Friends  objects  to  the  use  of  the  terms, 
"Christmas,"  "Easter,"  and  all  the  so-called  "holy 
(lavs.'*  and  "  masses"  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
Regarding  them  as  an  innovation  without  Scriptural 
warrant,  and  out  of  keeping  with  the  simplicity  of  the 
Gospel. 

*  No.  138. 


8 


A    CONCISE    EXPLANATION,  ETC. 


The  practice  of  drinking  healths  originated  in  offer- 
ing libations  to  the  gods  of  the  heathens,  and  as  it  tends 
to  lead  persons  to  dissipation,  it  has  been  discountenanced 
by  the  Society  from  its  origin. 

The  dress  of  Friends  is  also  likely  to  attract  attention, 
as  peculiar;  they  have,  however,  no  rule  as  to  the  man- 
ner in  which  they  shall  dress.  They  are  expected  to 
attend  to  the  apostolic  commands  :  "  that  women  adorn 
themselves  in  modest  apparel,  with  shamefacedness  and 
sobriety ;  not  with  broidered  hair,  or  gold,  or  pearls,  or 
costly  array;  but  (which  becometh  women  professing 
godliness)  w'th  good  works."*  "Whose  adorning  let 
it  not  be  that  outward  adorning  of  plaiting  the  hair,  and 
of  wearing  of  gold,  or  of  putting  on  of  apparel ;  but  let 
it  be  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart,"  "  even  the  ornament 
of  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  is  in  the  sight  of  God, 
of  great  pricc,"f 

"  Be  not  conformed  to  this  world,  but  be  ye  trans- 
formed by  the  renewing  of  your  mind,  that  ye  may 
prove  what  is  that  good,  and  acceptable,  and  perfect 
will  of  God. "J  Acting  conformably  to  the  spirit  of 
these  exhortations,  the  early  members  of  the  Society 
dressed  according  to  the  style  of  plain,  sober  people  of 
that  day  But  people  of  this  description  being  in  some 
degree  influenced  by  the  prevailing  customs  of  the  age, 
changed  their  costume  so  that  Friends  became  singu- 
lar in  their  appearance;  they  themselves,  have  also 
changed,  in  some  measure,  by  adopting  such  alterations 
in  their  dress  as  they  have  considered  improvements,  in 

*  1  Timothy,  ii.  9, 10.  f  1  Peter,  iii.  3,  4.    J  Romans,  xii.  2. 


A    CONCISE    EXPLANATION,    ETC.  0 

point  of  comfort  or  convenience ;  for  improvements  they 
by  no  means  object  to.  But  it  is  easy  to  see,  that  if 
changes  proceed  as  rapidly  as  they  have  done  among 
others,  and  they  were,  this  year,  to  adopt  the  same 
habit  as  that  of  the  plain  sober  people  of  the  present 
day,  and  to  retain  it,  they  would,  in  a  few  years,  be  left 
as  singular  as  they  now  are.  Friends  have  also  this 
additional  reason  for  retaining  their  distinctive  dress. 
Experience  has  proved,  that  like  their  language,  it  has  a 
preserving  effect  upon  their  young  and  weak  members, 
and  so  powerful  has  the  conviction  of  its  usefulness  been 
with  persons  who  have  joined  the  Society,  that  not  a 
few  have  thought  it  right  for  them  to  conform  to  the 
mode  of  dress  commonly  adopted  in  it. 

The  practice  of  putting  on  apparel  to  serve  as  an  out- 
ward sign  of  mourning — inasmuch  as  every  heart  best 
knows  its  own  sorrow, — can  usually  have  no  purpose 
but  that  of  exhibiting  to  others  the  real  or  supposed 
feelings  of  the  bereaved.  This  exhibition  of  grief,  or 
of  respect,  as  it  can  not  be  of  service  to  the  departed, 
tends  to  draw  the  attention  of  beholders  to  ourselves, 
our  loss,  and  our  supposed  sense  of  it.  A  readiness  for 
display  is  out  of  harmony  with  sincere  grief,  and  a  bring- 
ing of  self  into  view  has  little  part  in  the  promotion  of 
respect  for  the  deceased.  Does  not  the  wearing  of 
mourning  apparel  rest  on  the  same  principle  as  that 
which  governs  other  fashionable  attire  ;  and  is  it  not  in 
expense  as  well  as  in  worldly  conformity,  a  vain  bondage, 
from  which  the  Christian  disciple  should  be  free  ?  A 
Numerous  class  of  people  who  can  ill  afford  it,  are  drawn 


10 


A    CONCISE    EXPLANATION,  ETC. 


by  this  burdensome  custom  into  an  expenditure  beyond 
their  means. 

Connected  with  the  subject  of  dress,  the  complimen- 
tary practices  of  uncovering  the  head,  and  of  bowing, 
come  properly  under  review. 

It  will  require  no  argument  to  prove  that  these  prac- 
tices are  liable  to  the  same  objections  as  complimentary 
language.  With  regard  to  the  custom  of  taking  off  the 
hat,  the  Society  of  Friends  retain  it,  as  a  token  of  hom- 
age to  the  Most  High,  in  the  most  solemn  acts  of  public 
worship.  The  congregations  of  this  people  stand  with 
their  heads  uncovered  in  the  time  of  vocal  prayer ;  the 
person  thus  praying  being  the  only  one  who  kneels ; 
and  they  consider  it  would  be  an  impropriety  to  use  a 
sign  of  reverence  to  their  fellow  mortals,  which  they 
make  to  their  Creator  only,  on  the  most  solemn  occa- 
sions. Their  ministers  take  off  their  hats  when  they 
preach,  as  standing  before  God,  and  proclaiming  the 
Gospel  of  his  Son,  and  as  publicly  making  mention  of 
his  Holy  Name;  but  the  congregations  do  not  adopt 
the  practice  in  assembling  for  worship ;  they  believe  it 
right  for  them  to  enter  their  places  of  worship  with 
their  hats  on,  considering  it  a  superstition  that  repre- 
sents buildings  set  apart  for  the  worship  of  God,  as 
intrinsically  holy,  and  therefore  to  be  reverenced  by 
taking  off  the  hat ;  a  view  diametrically  opposed  to  that 
declared  by  the  martyr  Stephen:  "Howbeit  the  Most 
High  dwelleth  not  in  temples  made  with  hands."*f 

*  Acts,  vii.  48.  f  Friends  do  not  think  themselves  bound  to  keep 
their  hats  on  in  their  places  of  worship  when  personal  convenience 
dictates  otherwise. 


A    CONCISE    EXPLANATION,  ETC. 


11 


This  superstition  appears  to  have  arisen  from  the 
mistaken  belief,  that  places  of  worship  now  partake  of 
the  same  character  of  holiness,  that  under  the  first 
Covenant,  existed  in  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem,  in  which 
the  Lord  specially  placed  his  presence,  and  commanded 
it  to  be  reverenced.  A  feeling  that  seems  to  have  been 
kept  up  along  with  many  others,  through  the  influence 
of  persons  who  have  been  taught  to  think  that  this  was 
the  case,  but  who  have  not  had  their  eyes  fully  opened 
to  see  the  spirituality  of  the  Xew  Covenant  Dispensation. 

The  following  testimonials  of  the  apostle  Paul  afford 
a  further  elucidation  of  this  important  doctrine : 

"  Know  ye  not  that  yc  are  the  temple  of  God,  and 
that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in  you  ?  If  any  man 
defile  the  temple  of  God,  him  shall  God  destroy ;  for 
the  temple  of  God  is  holy,  which  temple  ye  are."* 
N  Ye  are  the  temple  of  the  living  God ;  as  God  hath 
said :  I  will  dwell  in  them  and  walk  in  them ;  and  I 
will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my  people. "f 

By  giving  this  kind  of  reverence  to  the  externals  with 
which  since  the  days  of  the  apostles,  the  religion  of  the 
Xew  Covenant  has  been  invested,  and  which  belongs 
only  to  God,  a  superstitious,  and  in  many  instances,  an 
idolatrous  feeling  is  excited  in  the  mind ;  and  the  atten- 
tion of  the  people  is  proportionably  diverted  from  that 
worship  of  the  Father,  which  is  in  Spirit  and  in  Truth ; 
and  which  is  performed  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  bestowed  on  us  freely  of  the  Father,  through  the 
mediation  of  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son. 

*  1  Cor.  iii.  16,  17.  f  2  Cor.  vi.  16. 


12  A    CONCISE    EXPLANATION,  ETC. 

The  Holy  Spirit  convinces  mankind  of  sin ;  leads  to 
genuine  repentance,  and  to  faith  in  Christ  as  the  pro- 
pitiation for  sin,  and  as  our  Advocate  and  High  Priest 
at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  as  well  as  in  all  his 
other  offices ;  and  constitutes  those  who  yield  implicit 
obedience  to  the  will  of  God,  thus  revealed  in  the  secret 
of  the  heart,  spiritual  worshippers — "lively  stones," 
that  "  are  built  up,  a  spiritual  house,  a  holy  priesthood, 
to  offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by 
Jesus  Christ."* 

Agreeably  to  the  foregoing  exhortation,  it  is  the 
privilege,  as  well  as  the  duty  of  Christians,  not  only  to 
renounce  every  thing  obviously  wrong ;  but  every  thing 
even  of  an  ambiguous  character — to  "  abstain  from  all 
appearance  of  evil  ;"f  Friends  nevertheless,  are  far 
from  judging  censoriously  of  those  who  do  not  see  eye 
to  eye  with  them  in  these  and  other  things,  in  which 
they  believe  it  their  duty  to  persevere  in  a  line  of  con- 
duct, different  from  that  pursued  by  other  bodies  of 
Christians.  On  the  contrary,  they  desire  to  regard  with 
Christian  love,  all  who  fear  the  Lord,  and  work  right- 
eousness ;  and  constantly  to  bear  in  remembrance  the 
saying  of  the  apostle:  "Who  art  thou  that  judge  st 
another  man's  servant  ?  to  his  own  master  he  standeth 
or  falleth."| 

*  1  Peter  ii.  5.         f  1  Thes.  v.  22.  t  Komans,  adv.  4. 


No.  151. 


MEMOIR 


OF 


James  Robinson, 


FORMERLY  A  SOLDIER. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
Xo.  304  Arch  Street. 

1886. 


MEMOIR 

OF 

JAMES  ROBINSON, 

FORMERLY  A  SOLDIER. 


James  Robinson  was  born  at  Colchester,  England,  on 
the  last  day  of  1801.  His  father  was  a  non-commis- 
sioned officer  in  the  army,  and  his  mother  dying  when 
he  was  but  about  eight  years  old,  the  boy  seems  to  have 
been  thrown  much  on  his  own  resources,  and  when  a 
lad,  was  engaged  on  board  ship  in  the  merchant  service. 
In  1821,  when  in  his  twentieth  year,  he  joined  the  army, 
and  continued  to  serve  in  various  capacities  at  \^  ool- 
wich  for  about  fourteen  years. 

Very  little  is  known  of  his  life  up  to  this  period. 
Possessing  a  tine  constitution,  engaged  in  a  service  in 
which  he  delighted  to  excel,  and  happily  settled  in  do- 
mestic life,  his  outward  circumstances  more  than  com- 
monly favored  the  enjoyment  of  ease  and  pleasure. 

Whilst  retaining  his  post  at  AVoolwich,  he  and  his 
wife  attended  the  ministry  of  the  late  Alexander  J. 
Scott,  who,  from  religious  conviction,  had  withdrawn 
from  the  Scotch  Church,  and  had  collected  around  him 
a  few  serious  and  enquiring  persons,  who  united  with 
him  in  seeking  to  worship  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth, 
apart  from  prescribed  forms.  Alexander  Scott  was  the 
honored  instrument  in  the  convincement  of  some  in 
that  little  company,  who  maintained  their  Christian 
course  and  grew  in  grace.  Four  of  these,  in  after  life, 
became  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 

At  this  early  period  of  their  Christian  course,  they 


4 


MEMOIR    OF    JAMES  ROBINSON, 


became  deeply  sensible  of  their  lost  condition  by  na- 
ture, and  were  diligent  in  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
On  one  occasion,  James  Robinson  and  another,  both 
under  strong  convictions,  tossed  and  not  comforted, 
waited  on  A.  J.  Scott,  asking  his  counsel.  The  reply 
to  them  was  characteristic  of  the  man,  "'Jean  do  noth- 
ing for  you,  go  to  God:"  thus  intimating  that  from 
Him  alone  must  come  the  help  they  needed. 

In  his  conscientious  search  after  truth,  James  Robin- 
son ere  long  was  led  to  see  that  the  soldier's  life,  and 
the  precepts  of  the  Gospel,  as  declared  in  the  Scriptures 
and  applied  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  his  heart,  were  at 
variance.  This  brought  him  into  a  great  strait,  as  he 
liked  his  occupation,  and  it  was  to  him  a  means  of  live- 
lihood; but  his  convictions  demanded  obedience  and 
loyalty  to  Christ,  and  forbade  allegiance  to  a  military 
commander  and  the  use  of*  weapons'  of  war.  After 
much  conflict  of  mind,  he  was  enabled  to  see  that  it 
was  his  duty  to  endeavor  to  obtain  his  discharge  from 
the  army.  Through  great  opposition  and  difficulty  he 
persevered,  and  eventually,  in  the  year  1835,  was  al- 
lowed by  the  authorities  to  purchase  his  release.  His 
reasons  for  so  doing  were  printed  and  presented  to  his 
brethren  and  comrades  in  the  army ;  some  extracts  are 
subjoined. 

"  I  consider  the  principle  of  the  profession  of  arms 
to  be  wrong,  contrary  to  the  will  of  God,  and  entirely 
opposed  to  the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  to  the 
consideration  of  which  I  would  earnestly  entreat  those 
among  my  military  brethren  who  doubt  this  point  to 
turn  their  most  serious  attention.  I  feel  it  indeed  to  be 
a  matter  of  great  moment,  but  to  which  I  for  a  long 
period  turned  a  blind  eye  and  a  deaf  ear,  until  at  last 
the  awakening  voice,  through  the  long-suffering  love  of 
God,  sounded  louder  and  louder  within  me,  'If  ye  love 


FORMERLY    A  SOLDIER. 


5 


me,  keep  my  commandments,'*  and  compelled  me,  as 
it  were,  to  seek  for  my  discharge  at  any  cost  or  price  ; 
and,  thanks  be  to  the  Giver  of  all  good,  my  petition  was 
acceded  to  by  the  Master-General  of  the  Ordnance,  and 
I  was  enabled  to  leave  the  service  on  paying  the  sum 
of  £25.  Many,  indeed,  were  the  subterfuges  used  by 
my  own  mind,  and  various  were  the  arguments  adopted 
by  my  own  understanding  against  it ;  and  oh,  how  I 
sought  for  a  loophole  or  a  crevice  through  which  I 
might  discover  the  least  light  to  authorize  my  remain- 
ing in  a  situation  I  so  dearly  loved,  and  for  the  duties 
of  which  I  appeared  to  be  better  calculated  than  for 
others  I  knew  of.  But  the  more  I  searched  the  more 
I  saw  its  evil,  and  that  it  was  a  position  in  which  I 
could  not  obey  the  commandments  of  my  Lord  and 
Saviour  without  a  violation  of  the  oath  by  which  I  was 
bound  to  observe  and  obey  the  orders  of  those  placed 
over  me;  and  however  startling  a  question  this  state- 
ment may  cause  to  arise  in  the  minds  of  many,  yet  I 
must  again  repeat  it,  that  I  felt  myself  to  be  in  a  posi- 
tion in  which  I  was  liable  daily  either  to  violate  my 
enlistment  oath  or  the  commandments  of  Jesus  Christ. 
There  was,  then,  no  alternative  but  to  use  the  means 
which  He  had,  in  his  great  mercy  and  love,  put  within 
my  reach,  and  which  He  caused  to  succeed  beyond  all 
my  expectations:  to  his  name  alone  be  the  praise." 

After  noticing  the  objections  brought  forward  by 
many  to  the  principle  of  non-resistance,  J.  R.  says  : 

"  There  is  surely  nothing  more  gratifying  to  the  natu- 
ral mind  than  respect  from  others— the  having  authority, 
etc. :  the  praise  of  those  in  authority  over  us  operates 
as  a  charm,  and  a  man  will  devote  all  the  energies  of 
his  mind  and  body  to  gain  the  esteem  of  his  officers. 
Then  there  is  also  the  looking  forward  continually  to 

*  John  xiv.  15. 


6 


MEMOIR    OF    JAMES  ROBINSON, 


promotion — at  least  I  felt  it  so  with  myself,  from  the 
time  I  was  appointed  acting-bombardier  until  within  a 
very  short  time  of  my  discharge,  when  these  words 
sounded  in  my  ears  in  a  most  alarming  manner,  4  There- 
fore if  any  man  he  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature :  old 
things  are  passed  away;  hehold,  all  things  are  beconK- 
new,'*  which  set  me  on  deep  self-examination,  and  put 
an  end  to  all  my  prospective  views  as  regarded  promo- 
tion ;  and  being  exceedingly  loath  to  give  up  all,  look- 
ing at  the  respectability  of  my  situation,  and  not  know- 
ing what  to  turn  my  hand  to,  the  Lord  caused  the 
following  portions  of  His  truth,  in  His  great  mercy, 
to  be  applied  to  my  heart,  and  through  His  strength,  I 
overcame,  viz.,  *  That  which  is  highly  esteemed  among 
men,  is  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God  ;'f  4  The  friend- 
ship of  the  world  is  enmity  with  God ;  whosoever  will 
be  a  friend  of  the  world,  is  the  enemy  of  God  ;'|  '  Love 
not  the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in  the  world. 
If  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not 
in  him.  For  all  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the 
flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life,  is 
not  of  the  Father,  but  is  of  the  world  ;'§  '  If  any  man 
will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up 
his  cross,  and  follow  me.  For  whosoever  will  save  his 
life  shall  lose  it:  and  whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for  my 
sake,  shall  find  it.  For  what  is  a  man  profited,  if  he 
shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  or 
what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  V  ||  'He 
that  loveth  father  or  mother  more  than  me,  is  not 
worthy  of  me  :  and  he  that  loveth  son  or  daughter  more 
than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me.  And  he  that  taketh  not  j 
his  cross,  and  followeth  after  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me;'T 
•  Take  no  thought  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or 

*2  Cor.  v.  17.     f  Luke  xvi.  15.     %  James  iv.  4.     g  1  John  ii.  15,  16. 
}\  Matt.  xvi.  24,  25,  26.  ^  Matt.  x.  37,  38. 


FORMERLY    A  SOLDIER. 


7 


what  ye  shall  drink;  nor  yet  for  your  body,  what  ye 
shall  put  on.  Is  not  the  life  more  than  meat,  and  the 
body  than  raiment  ?  For  your  heavenly  Father  know- 
eth  that  ye  have  need  of  all  these  things.  But  seek  ye 
first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  his  righteousness ;  and 
all  these  tilings  shall  he  added  unto  you.  Take  there- 
fore no  thought  for  the  morrow:  for  the  morrow  shall 
take  thought  for  the  things  of  itself.  Sufficient  unto 
the  day  is  the  evil  thereof;'*  'And  Jesus  called  a  little 
child  unto  Him,  and  set  him  in  the  midst  of  them,  and 
said  :  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  he  converted, 
and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  heaven, ?|  etc.;  '  He  that  saith,  I  know 
Him,  and  keepeth  not  his  commandments,  is  a  liar,  and 
the  truth  is  not  in  him. 'J 

"  There  is  another  portion  of  the  Gospel  which  I  felt 
to  bear  much  upon  me,  and  which  I  was  liable  to  break 
almost  every  day.  I  allude  to  the  taking  of  oaths.  witli- 
out  which  no  evidence  can  be  taken  before  a  court  mar- 
tial. The  Lord,  in  preaching  to  the  multitude  said. 
'  Again,  ye  hare  heard  that  it  hath  been  said  by  them 
of  old  time :  Thou  shalt  not  forswear  thyself,  but  shalt 
perform  unto  the  Lord  thine  oaths ;  but  I  say  unto  y«  >u, 
Swear  not  at  all:  neither  by  heaven,  for  it  is  God's 
throne  ;  nor  by  the  earth,  for  it  is  His  footstool ;  neither 
by  Jerusalem,  for  it  is  the  city  of  the  Great  King. 
Xeither  shalt  thou  swear  by  thy  head,  because  thou 
canst  not  make  one  hair  white  or  black.  But  let  your 
communication  be,  Yea,  yea:  Nay,  nay:  for  whatso- 
ever is  more  than  these,  cometh  of  evil.'§  Xow  I  be- 
lieve that  most  pious  people,  as  well  as  commentators, 
agree  in  saying  that  our  Lord  in  this  exclaimed  against 
the  practice  so  very  prevalent  among  the  Jews,  of '  com- 
mon swearing  or  cursing,'  but  that  it  could  by  no  means 
f  Matt.  vi.  25-34.  t  Matt,  xviii.  2,  3.   +  1  John  ii.  4.    g  Ma  tt.  v.  33,  37. 


MEMOIR    OF    JAMES  ROBINSON, 


allude  to  oaths  administered  for  the  ends  of  justice,  law, 
etc. ;  and  this  has  been  said  to  me  when  I  have  men- 
tioned the  command  as  binding  upon  all  who  name  the 
name  of  Christ.  Truly  it  is  an  awful  thing  to  be  call- 
ing Him  Lord,  Lord,  and  not  doing  the  things  which 
He  saith !  Surely  any  one  in  the  simplicity  of  a  child 
would  understand  it,  as  it  is  literally  written,  but  be- 
cause of  a  prejudiced  eye, 4  His  word  is  made  of  none 
effect.'  To  what  did  Jesus  allude  when  He  said,  <  Ye 
have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said  by  them  of  old  time, 
Thou  shalt  not  forswear  thyself,  but  shalt  perform  unto 
the  Lord  thine  oaths  ?'  It  must  have  been  to  a  com- 
mand in  the  law  (see  Numbers  xxx.  2).  What  perform- 
ance unto  the  Lord  could  there  have  been  in  common 
swearing  or  cursing  ?  None.  The  taking  of  the  name 
of  Jehovah  in  vain  was  forbidden  by  the  third  com- 
mandment. The  Lord,  then,  having  rehearsed  that 
which  was  allowable  in  the  law  of  Moses,  forbids  it  hj, 
'But  I  say  unto  you,  Swear  not  at  all!'  Wherefore? 
'Because  thou  canst  not  make  one  hair  white  or  black.' 
And  thus,  in  great  pity  and  compassion  for  the  weak- 
ness of  frail  man,  whom  He  would  have  free  from  all 
unnecessary  obligations,  He  says,  '  Let  your  communi- 
cation be  Yea,  yea;  Nay,  nay;  for  whatsoever  is  more 
than  these  cometh  of  evil.'  " 

In  conclusion,  J.  R.  says :  "  These  are  my  motives 
for  quitting  a  service  which,  naturally,  I  dearly  loved ; 
in  which  my  father  had  served  nearly  twenty-three 
years,  and  myself  thirteen  years  and  five  months,  and 
in  which  I  had  always  met  with  the  greatest  kindness 
from  those  placed  in  authority  over  me,  some  of  whom, 
I  trust,  will  ever  be  remembered  with  the  liveliest  feel- 
ings of  gratitude.  But,  'Unto  whomsoever  much  is 
given,  of  him  shall  be  much  required;'*  and  'That  ser- 

*  Luke  xii.  48. 


FORMERLY    A  SOLDIER. 


9 


vant  which  knew  Lis  Lord's  will,  and  prepared  not  him- 
self, neither  did  according  to  His  will,  shall  he  beaten 
with  many  stripes;'*  and  as  it  was  given  me  to  feel  and 
know  that  the  office  I  held  was  according  to  the  course 
of  this  world,  and  not  in  agreement  with  the  mind  of 
the  Lord,  nor  of  His  Christ,  I  could  not  do  otherwise 
Than  leave  it,  if  I  possessed  the  least  regard  whatever 
for  Him,  who,  though  He  was  rich,  yet  for  our  sakes 
became  poor,  that  we,  through  His  poverty,  might  he 
rich,  f  and  who  had  borne  with  me  so  long,  with  all  the 
tenderness,  pity,  and  compassion  of  a  loving  Father, 
that  I  at  last  should  hear  His  voice  and  live." 

On  quitting  the  army,  James  Robinson  was  engaged 
for  two  years  as  tutor  to  the  children  of  his  late  com- 
manding officer,  and  they  have  feelingly  testified  to  the 
spiritual  benefit  which  they  received  through  his  instru- 
mentality and  whilst  under  his  teaching.  He  after- 
wards obtained  an  appointment  under  the  Trent  and 
Mersey  Navigation  Company,  residing  at  different 
periods  at  Stoke-on-Trent  and  Runcorn,  becoming  at 
last  permanently  settled  at  Stoke,  as  Canal  Superinten- 
dent to  the  North  Staffordshire  Railway  Company. 

Both  at  Stoke  and  Runcorn  he  was  in  the  practice  of 
meeting  with  a  few  of  his  friends,  at  his  own  house,  for 
Divine  worship,  waiting  in  stillness  on  the  Lord,  and 
only  giving  utterance  to  what,  as  he  used  to  say,  "  he 
felt  drawn  to  express." 

At  this  time  he  seemed  to  have  had  no  acquaintance 
with  the  Society  of  Friends,  nor  any  knowledge  of 
them,  as  regards  their  religious  principles  or  mode  of 
worship.  Whilst  at  Runcorn,  he  purchased  at  a  book- 
stall a  volume  of  Isaac  Penington's  works,  the  perusal 
of  which  afforded  him  ^reat  satisfaction.  He  said  to  a 
friend  afterwards,  "  On  reading  I.  Penington's  works,  I 

*Luke  xii.  47.  f  2  Corinthians  viii.  9. 


10 


MEMOIR    OF    JAMES  ROBINSON. 


found  the  views  he  set  forth  in  them  were  so  complete 
a  counterpart  to  my  feelings  and  convictions,  that  I  was 
glad  there  was  a  professing  people  I  could  unite  with." 
In  the  year  1857,  having  attended  a  few  of  their  meet- 
ings for  worship,  and  heing  satisfied  with  their  doctrines 
and  principles,  James  Robinson  expressed  a  desire  to 
be  received  into  membership  with  the  Society  of  Friends. 
This  was  cordially  responded  to  by  Hardshaw  West 
Monthly  Meeting.  On  the  occasion  of  his  first  attend- 
ing a  meeting  at  Stoke,  he  sat  down  among  them  as  a 
stranger,  and  after  a  time  of  silence,  he  rose  and  testi- 
fied of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  with  such  power  and 
sweetness  as  filled  his  fellow-worshippers  with  surprise, 
and  cordially  did  they  extend  to  him  the  hand  of  fellow- 
ship. For  upwards  of  nine  years  from  that  time,  James 
Robinson  continued  steadily  advancing  in  his  Christian 
course ;  often  strengthening  and  encouraging  his  friends ; 
but,  entertaining  a  humble  view  of  himself,  he  declined 
with  much  firmness,  being  brought  forward  in  a  more 
prominent  manner  among  them,  believing  the  position 
in  which  he  stood  to  be  the  safest  for  him. 

In  the  exercise  of  his  gift  as  a  Minister,  his  communi- 
cations were  deeply  instructive,  sound  in  doctrine,  and 
delivered  with  scriptural  clearness.  He  possessed  large 
powers  of  mind  and  a  retentive  memory.  He  was  re- 
markably favored  in  his  preaching  with  the  gift  of  open- 
ing and  applying  the  Scriptures,  both  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testament,  and  in  setting  forth  with  great  clear- 
ness and  weight  the  spirituality  of  the  gospel  dispensa- 
tion. He  was  often  led  earnestly  to  press  on  his  fellow- 
worshippers  the  necessity  lor  every  one  to  have  a  living 
faith  in  Christ,  the  Saviour;  that  they  might  be  par- 
takers of  that  salvation  purchased  for  them  with  HiJ 
precious  blood,  shed  on  the  cross  for  sinners,  and  know 
His  Spirit  to  reign  and  rule  in  their  hearts,  the  Com-  < 


FORMERLY    A  SOLDIER. 


11 


forter,  whom  He  would  send  in  His  Name,  even  the 
Spirit  of  Truth,  who  will  guide  into  all  Truth;  that 
through  this  transforming  and  cleansing  power,  they 
might  he  made  meet  to  he  partakers  of  the  heavenly 
inheritance. 

In  a  letter  to  a  friend,  in  the  year  1866,  James  Robin- 
son writes:  "  Oh,  that  those  who  are  left,  few  in  num- 
ber though  we  he,  may  become  vine-dressers  in  the  true 
and  higher  sense  of  the  word,  and  by  abiding  in  Him, 
who  is  the  Vine,  be  enabled  to  bring  forth  fruits  that 
glorify  our  Father  who  is  in  heaven ;  for  herein  is  He 
(the  Husbandman)  glorified,  that  we  bear  much  fruit. 
Yes,  it  is  good,  dear  friend,  as  thou  sayest,  to  retire 
alone  to  pray,  to  commune  in  secret  with  Him  who 
seeth  in  secret,  and  to  receive  our  daily  bread  from  our 
Father's  hand.  Surely  He  withholdeth  not  the  portion 
from  any  who  truly  and  sincerely  wait  upon  Him :  He 
giveth  liberally  without  upbraiding.  AVhat  our  neces- 
sities require  is  a  daily,  present  Saviour,  and  if  we  real- 
ize Him  not,  the  sin  must  lie  at  our  own  door,  seeing 
He  hath  promised  to  be  with  His  disciples  to  the  end 
of  the  world.  His  delights  are  with  the  children  of 
men.  Oh,  that  He  may  be  our  Counsellor,  the  searcher 
of  our  hearts,  enabling  us  to  die  daily  to  self,  the  world, 
and  the  spirit  thereof,  until  '  mortality  be  swallowed  up 
of  life.'  " 

In  times  of  sickness  or  affliction,  and  in  the  solemn 
hour  of  approaching  death,  James  Robinson  often 
proved  a  minister  of  God  for  good  to  those  he  visited. 
With  the  law  of  kindness  on  his  lips,  in  the  spirit  ot 
his  Divine  Master,  he  went  about  doing  good,  assuming 
nothing  to  himself,  and  bearing  no  credentials  but  the 
unmistakable  evidence  of  being  actuated  by  love  to  God 
and  love  to  man.  Thus  he  pursued  his  diligent  course 
until  within  a  few  weeks  of  his  decease,  when  his  bodily 


12 


MEMOIR    UF    JAMES    ROBINSON,  ETC. 


frame,  till  then  robust  and  powerful,  rapidly  sunk,  and 
without  much  extreme  bodily  suffering,  he  was  reduced 
to  a  state  of  great  prostration,  which  soon  terminated 
in  the  dissolution  of  all  that  was  mortal.  Throughout 
his  illness  he  seemed  mercifully  to  know  "  the  peace  of 
God  that  passeth  all  understanding,  to  keep  his  heart 
and  mind  through  Christ  Jesus."  A  few  days  before 
his  close,  in  a  last  interview  with  a  friend  to  whom  he 
was  closely  attached  by  ties  of  Christian  love,  (probably 
on  reviewing  his  earlier  career)  he  emphatically  quoted 
the  language  of  David,  "Tie  brought  me  up  also  out  of 
an  horrible  pit,  out  of  the  miry  clay,  and  set  my  feet 
upon  a  rock,  and  established  my  goings,  and  He  hath 
put  a  new  song  in  my  mouth,  even  praise  unto  our 
God."  As  he  lived,  so  he  died,  testifying  of  the  grace 
of  God  that  bringeth  salvation,  and  with  Alleluia  on  his 
lips,  without  a  sigh,  he  passed  almost  imperceptibly 
away,  in  the  67th  year  of  his  age. 

"  He  being  dead  yet  speaketk." 


No.  159. 


INCIDENTS 

IN  THE 

LIFE  OF 

Henry  Eobberman 


PHILADELPHIA: 
POLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1886. 


Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Henry  Robberman. 


Henry  Robberman  was  bom  near  the  city  of  Minden 
in  Prussia,  11th  mo.  11th,  1774.  His  parents,  Henry 
and  Elizabeth,  were  members  of  the  Lutherans,  and 
he  was  brought  up  in  that  profession.  He  has  related 
various  incidents  of  his  life,  religious  exercises,  con- 
vincement,  &c. ;  recounting  with  humility  many  of  the 
mercies  and  preservations  vouchsafed  him  from  his 
youth  up.  In  our  acquaintance  with  him,  say  his 
friends,  embracing  a  period  of  seventeen  years,  he 
evinced  so  much  of  a  loving,  patient  Christian  spirit, 
as  greatly  to  enlarge  our  love  towards  him. 

From  some  of  his  manuscripts  is  extracted  the  fol- 
lowing :  "In  the  year  1792,  being  then  in  my  eighteenth 
year,  I  was  taken  by  force  into  the  Prussian  army,  and 
was  in  that  army  several  years,  and  during  that  time 
passed  through  many  and  great  dangers ;  and  marvel- 
lous was  the  love  of  my  heavenly  Father  in  keeping 
and  preserving  me,  in  that  great  company:  for  it 
pleased  him  to  place  his  fear  in  my  heart ;  and  I  was 
careful  not  to  offend  him  in  anything  according  to  the 
knowledge  I  then  had. 

"  I  can  well  remember  many  occasions  wherein  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  is  plainly  seen  in  preservations  and 
deliverances;  praised  be  his  name  forever  and  ever; 
for  I  was  not  worthy  of  all  his  mercies  and  his  grace 
that  he  bestowed  upon  me.  He  has  preserved  me  until 
this  day,  and  I  hope  and  believe  he  will  not  forsake  me 
for  I  put  my  trust  in  him.   The  Lord  gave  me  a  tender 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  HENRY  ROBBERMAN.  3 


heart  even  from  a  child,  and  a  just  principle  was  in  me 
that  I  was  not  willing-  to  wrong  any  one,  no  matter 
how  hungry  or  needy  I  was." 

He  appears  to  have  been  convinced,  while  in  the 
army,  of  the  iniquity  of  taking  the  life  of  a  fellow 
being.  On  the  morning  of  the  day  the  army  was  de- 
feated by  the  French  under  Bonaparte,  he  awoke  with 
a  prayer  in  his  mind,  "  Oh  that  I  may  not  kill  a  man 
this  day."  And  this  continued  to  be  his  breathing 
desire  as  the  day  advanced :  not  seeing  how  to  escape 
using  his  weapon,  if  brought  into  the  conflict  But 
the  company  he  was  in  was  placed  in  reserve.  They 
stood  for  hours  where  they  could  hear,  but  not  see,  the 
terrible  conflict  then  going  on.  About  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon  an  officer  came  riding  to  the  top  of  the 
hill  that  overlooked  the  valley  where  the  reserve  was 
stationed,  and  called  out  to  them  (according  to  Henry's 
rendering  into  English),  "  Go  back,  my  children,  go 
back,  my  children ;  all  is  lost !  all  is  lost ! "  They 
speedily  retreated,  but  were  pursued,  the  balls  falling 
near  them,  but  none  were  hurt.  The  army  was  then 
broken  up,  and  he  returned  home. 

His  convincement  of  the  truth,  as  professed  by 
Friends,  may  best  be  given  in  his  own  words,  thus : 

u  I  have  often  thought  my  convincement  remarkable. 
I  had  a  great  esteem  for  the  profession  of  religion  in  which 
I  was  brought  up,  and  a  great  regard  for  their  ministers. 
*  *  *  It  had  pleased  the  Lord  to  raise  up  a  little  Hock 
[Friends]  in  our  country,  who  were  regarded  with  little 
favor  by  the  people.  They  called  them  deceivers.  I 
heard  of  them,  but  was  afraid  of  them,  aud  was  not  wil- 
ling to  go  into  their  company,  thinking  they  held  danger- 
ous doctrines.  Being  at  a  neighbor's  house,  I  was  called 
upon  to  read  a  book.  It  was  William  Penirs  summons 
or  '  Call  to  Christendom."  While  reading  this  book,  my 


4 


INCIDENTS    IN   THE   LIFE  OF 


understanding  was  opened,  and  I  was  fully  convinced 
that  the  doctrine  therein  contained  was  the  truth." 

After  this,  he  passed  through  many  exercises  of  mind 
to  the  trying  of  his  faith  and  patience,  but  appears  to 
have  adhered  closely  to  his  convictions  of  duty.  In 
the  year  1814,  he  became  a  member,  of  the  Two 
Months'  Meeting  of  Friends,  held  alternately  at  Min- 
den,  in  Prussia,  and  Pyrmont,  in  Germany ;  and  cheer- 
fully walked  forty-two  miles  to  attend  it,  when  held  at 
the  latter  place,  in  company  with  another  friend ;  often 
walking  all  night  to  accomplish  it  in  time.  In  the 
period  that  elapsed  between  his  convincement  and  join- 
ing the  Society,  among  the  close  trials  and  deep  prov- 
ings  he  passed  through,  may  be  mentioned,  that  his 
wife  was  much  opposed  to  him ;  he  was  quite  poor  in 
his  circumstances,  and  met  with  successive  losses  from 
the  little  he  then  had,  which  was  attributed  by  her  and 
others  to  his  having  embraced  a  new  and  wrong  re- 
ligion. For  several  successive  years  their  hog  died  when 
nearly  fattened ;  then  a  young  cow ;  so  that  he  was  close- 
ly proved — it  being  no  small  trial  thus  to  lose  what 
was  so  necessary  for  their  support. 

"  I  was  enabled,"  said  he,  "  to  bow  meekly  under 
these  trials.  I  still  had  a  hope  the  Lord  would  be 
merciful  to  me,  and  deliver  me  in  his  own  time." 

He  was  late  one  fall  in  sowing  his  rye,  having  to 
wait  for  a  team  until  his  neighbors  had  finished.  The 
following  spring  his  wife  went  to  see  their  field ;  the 
ground  was  bare,  the  rye  had  not  come  up,  while  the 
neighbor's  was  green  and  flourishing.  "  She  came  home," 
said  he,  " weeping,  saying  'we  should  have  nothing 
for  bread.'  I  could  not  say  anything;  I  did  not  know 
what  the  Lord  would  do  for  me.  In  about  six  week 
I  went  to  see  our  field."— He  had  a  few  acres  three  o 
four  miles  from  their  dwelling.—"  When  I  reached  the 


HENRY  ROBBERMAN. 


5 


the  rye  was  two  or  three  inches  high.  Oh !  my  heart 
was  filled  with  gladness,  and  I  praised  the  name  of  my 
God.  I  came  home,  but  did  not  say  anything;  was 
very  silent.  When  the  time  of  harvest  came,  my  wife 
and  I  went  to  gather  it ;  I  cut  and  she  bound  it  after  me. 
We  worked  until  weary,  and  sat  down  to  rest.  She 
arose  first,  and  went  to  the  neighbor's  shocks  to  exam- 
ine the  heads  but  found  very  little  grain  in  them.  She 
then  examined  ours,  and  found  them  uncommonly  well 
filled.  Theirs  being  sown  early  was  smitten  with  rust, 
whilst  ours  escaped.  She  came  back  and  sat  down  by 
me  and  wrept;  said  she  was  sorry  for  what  she  had 
said,  and  desired  me  to  forgive  her.  This  I  could 
freely  do,  and  was  thankful  to  my  heavenly  Father  for 
his  mercy  and  compassion  towards  us." 

After  his  reception  into  membership  with  Friends, 
he  was  engaged  in  teaching  a  school  for  Friends'  chil- 
dren, and  continued  in  that  employment  about  seven- 
teen years,  and  had  comfortable  evidence  that  a  blessing 
rested  on  his  labors.  During  this  time  his  circumstances 
much  improved. 

After  the  decease  of  his  wife,  he  removed  to  America, 
accompanied  by  a  son  and  his  family.    He  says : 

"  While  crossing  the  ocean,  we  had  a  great  storm, 
which  lasted  three  days  and  two  nights ;  the  captain 
thought  we  were  in  great  danger  of  being  driven  upon 
certain  rocks.  So  great  was  the  violence  of  the  storm  that 
the  hatches  had  to  be  closed,  and  we  had  no  light  but 
that  of  a  lamp  hung  to  the  ceiling.  There  wTas  much  noise 
and  confusion,  there  being  many  passengers;  but  I  lay 
me  down  in  peace,  having  no  fear,  for  I  was  truly  resign- 
ed and  content.  The  captain  came  down  and  told  the 
people  to  be  still,  for  he  knew  not  but  we  might  be  in 
a  short  time  swallowed  up  in  the  great  deep.  This 
greatly  alarmed  them,  and  many  fell  down  on  their 


6 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF 


knees,  praying  after  their  manner  to  the  Virgin  and 
other  saints,  as  they  called  them.  But  these  things  did 
not  move  me,  for  I  was  favored  with  a  sure  confidence 
that  we  would  not  he  swallowed  up  by  the  ocean,  and 
that  not  a  soul  would  be  lost.  About  eleven  at  night, 
the  storm  suddenly  abated  ;  the  winds  were  rebuked 
and  wTere  still.  The  captain  came  down  and  said,  *  Be 
of  good  cheer,  we  are  safe.'  I  tell  this  to  the  praise  of 
my  Heavenly  Father,  because  He  fulfilled  his  wTord  to 
me."  Referring  to  an  evidence  he  had  had  several  years 
before :  "  I  have  given  thee  all  that  go  in  the  ship  with 
thee,  and  they  shall  be  saved." 

A  dream  he  once  had  was  written  down  at  his  rela- 
tion as  follows:  "I  dreamed  I  was  standing  in  a  great 
wide  field,  and  saw  a  great  building  in  the  midst  of  the 
field.  The  building  was  four  square ;  the  length  and 
breadth  and  height  were  the  same.  The  building  was, 
as  it  were,  of  stone,  very  smooth  and  beautiful  to  look 
upon.  A  great  multitude  I'  saw  standing  round  about, 
looking  upon  it  with  great  admiration.  I  saw  in  it  an 
open  door,  and  when  I  saw  it,  I  went  in  to  see  the  in- 
side. There  I  saw  another  building  of  the  same  shape 
as  the  outward  building,  but  smaller.  On  the  four  cor- 
ners I  saw  four  trees,  one  on  each  corner,  very  green 
and  beautiful,  and  the  branches  reached  one  to  the 
other  round  about.  On  the  inside  of  the  outer  wall 
were  benches  or  seats,  and  on  these  sat  a  few  persons, 
some  three  or  four  women  and  two  or  three  men,  al- 
though there  were  so  many  on  the  outside.  On  this 
inner  building  I  saw  the  likeness  of  a  man  clothed  in  a 
long  white  robe,  who  walked  round  about  on  the  top  of 
the  building.  I  could  not  see  his  face,  for  the  branches 
of  the  trees  hid  it  from  my  viewT;  but  I  heard  him  pro- 
claim in  a  voice  so  sweet  and  melodious  as  I  never  in 
my  life  heard  before  ;  I  cannot  describe  it.    The  voice 


HEXRY  ROBBER  M  AN. 


7 


proclaimed:  'My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  they  follow 
me.'  I  have  many  times  remembered  this  dream,  and 
the  great  building,  which  so  fitly  represents  an  outward 
profession,  in  which  people  come  not  into  the  inner 
temple,  and  when  I  came  into  it  I  found  so  few.  So 
true  it  is,  that  many  are  called,  but  few  chosen  !  Oh,  I 
much  desire  that  all  my  dear  friends  may  make  their 
calling  and  election  sure." 

About  ten  years  before  his  death,  having  been  at  a 
Quarterly  Meeting  held  at  Pennsville,  Ohio,  he  said : 
"  Soon  after  taking  my  seat  in  meeting,  all  within  me 
was  brought  into  great,  stillness,  such  as  I  never  before 
felt,  when  a  voice  sounded  in  my  inward  ear,  4  My  son, 
thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee.'  This  made  me  tremble,  and 
my  whole  frame  was  shaken.  After  a  while  I  was 
gathered  into  the  same  stillness  as  before,  and  the  same 
voice  saluted  my  inward  ear,  '  My  son,  be  comforted, 
thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee.'  Again  my  frame  was 
shaken,  and  all  within  me  was  brought  into  silent 
admiration,  when  the  same  voice  repeated,  '  My  son,  be 
comforted,  thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee,  and  no  man  shall 
be  able  to  pluck  thee  out  of  my  hand.'  " 

A  neighbor  of  Henry  Robberman  was  suddenly  taken 
extremely  ill,  accompanied  with  the  loss  of  his  reason, 
so  as  to  require  the  assistance  of  several  men  to  restrain 
him;  and  he  remained  in  this  condition  some  time,  in- 
somuch that  arrangements  were  making  to  carry  him 
to  an  asylum,  when  he  was  suddenly  restored  to  his 
usual  health,  both  of  body  and  mind,  and  so  re- 
mained, never  after  manifesting  any  disturbance  of 
his  reason.  His  restoration  occurred  on  a  Sixth-day, 
about  11  a.  m.  Some  months  after  this,  Henry 
Robberman,  being  in  a  friend's  house,  the  restored 
man  came  in,  but  was  not  recognized  by  H.  R.,  whose 
sight  was  dim;  when  opportunity  offered,  he  inquired 


8       INGLDENTS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  HENRY  ROBBERMAN. 

of  a  friend,  who  it  was  that  came.  On  being  told,  he 
replied,  "  I  will  tell  thee  something ;  thou  knowest  he 
was  deranged  or  crazy.  Well,  I  was  exceedingly  sorry 
for  this.  I  was  sorry  for  his  wife  and  children,  and  was 
sorry  for  himself,  too,  and  on  a  Sixth-day  I  was  out  in 
the  clearing  cutting  wood,  when  my  heart  was  filled 
with  compassion.  I  laid  down  my  axe,  and  sat  down 
on  a  log,  and  prayed  in  my  heart  that  the  Lord  would 
heal  him  ;  and  the  answer  came  so  sweet,  i  I  will  heal 
him  this  same  hour;'  and  I  believed  the  Lord  would  do 
as  He  said."  This  was  just  at  the  time  his  restoration 
occurred.  Henry  further  said,  "  I  am  thankful  I  have 
lived  to  this  day,  and  that  the  Lord  heard  my  prayer/' 
Under  a  Christian  feeling  of  gratitude  and  humility,  he 
did  not  wish  it  told,  but  said,  "  Give  the  Lord  all  the 
praise." 

During  the  last  few  years  of  his  life,  he  passed 
through  much  pain  of  body  and  exercise  of  mind;  yet 
it  was  evident  the  sustaining  Hand  was  near  for  his 
support.  He  often  spoke  of  the  inward  sweetness, 
peace  and  comfort,  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  afford  him, 
being  renewedly  favored  with  the  consoling  assurance 
of  the  gracious  promise  which  had  for  some  years  been 
sealed  to  him,  "  Thou  art  mine ;  I  have  redeemed  thee, 
and  no  man  shall  be  able  to  pluck  thee  out  of  my  hand." 
To  some  who  visited  him  in  his  last  illness,  he  imparted 
good  counsel,  desiring  them  in  a  lively  and  impressive 
manner  to  keep  to  an  inward  watchfulness,  and  mind 
the  will  of  God.  He  uttered  many  comfortable  ex- 
pressions, among  which  was,  "  I  desire  to  depart  and 
be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better ;  but  not  my  will, 
but  the  will  of  God  be  done." 

He  passed  quietly  away  as  one  going  into  a  sweet 
sleep,  in  the  87th  year  of  his  age.  "  Precious  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of  his  saints." 


No.  15B% 


What  Then? 


A  young  man  of  good  natural  talents,  and  very  am- 
bitious to  become  of  eminence  and  distinction  in  the 
world,  had,  after  long  craving,  obtained  permission  of 
his  parents  to  study  law,  by  which  he  hoped  and  ex- 
pected to  win  tame  and  fortune. 

Flushed  with  enthusiasm,  and  eager  to  commence 
the  studies  which  were  the  necessary  stepping  stones  in 
the  path  he  had  determined  to  tread,  he  entered  one  of 
the  Italian  universities,  at  which,  at  that  time,  resided 
Filippo  Xeri,  a  man  noted  for  his  piety  and  wisdom. 
The  young  man  had,  when  a  boy,  known  Filippo,  and 
he  now  eagerly  sought  an  opportunity  of  telling  him 
his  hopes  and  his  expectations.  He  spoke  of  his  inten- 
tions to  spare  no  pains  or  labor  in  his  studies,  that  he 
might  thoroughly  quality  himself  for  becoming  an  emi- 
nent lawyer.  The  old  man  listened  with  kindly  interest . 
as  the  young  one  poured  out  his  thoughts  and  intentions, 
and  when  the  fluent,  buoyant-hearted  harangue  was 
ended,  quietly  inquired  what  he  intended  to  do  after 
his  studies  were  finished. 

"  Then  I  shall  take  my  doctor's  degree." 

"  And  what  then?"  said  his  aged  friend. 

"  Then  I  shall  have  a  number  of  difficult  and  knotty 
cases  to  manage;  shall  catch  people's  notice  by  my  elo- 


2 


WHAT  THEN? 


quence,  my  zeal,  my  learning,  my  acuteness,  and  gain 
a  great  reputation. " 
"  And  then  ?" 

"  Why,  then,  there  cannot  be  a  question  I  shall  be 
promoted  to  some  high  office  or  other ;  besides,  I  shall 
make  money  and  grow  rich." 

"And  then?*' 

"  Then  I  shall  live  comfortably  and  honorably,  in 
health  and  dignity,  and  shall  be  able  to  look  forward 
quietly  to  a  happy  old  age." 

"And  then?" 

"  Then,"  said  the  young  man,  "  why,  then, — then, — 
then  I  shall  die." 

Once  more  the  old  man  uttered  the  query :  "  And 
then?" 

The  youthful  aspirant  after  earthly  honors  and  riches 
cast  down  his  eyes,  and  made  no  answer.  The  ques- 
tion sent  home  to  his  heart  by  the  awakening  visitation 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  produced  a  great  change  there.  The 
pomp  and  glories  of  this  fleeting  world  lost  their  lustre 
and  attractive  force  to  him.  Soon  he  forsook  the  study 
of  the  law,  and  sought  by  devoting  himself  to  the  Lord's 
service,  to  become  humble  and  useful,  rather  than  ex- 
alted and  popular.  He  wished  to  be  a  faithful  servant 
of  Christ  and  of  his  church,  rather  than  through  riches, 
qualifications,  and  station,  to  be  a  ruler,  a  commander, 
and  controller  of  mankind. 

Are  there  not  many  of  us  who,  if  we  would  follow 
out  the  query,  "  And  then  ?"  to  the  end,  would  find,  if 
we  allowed  the  unflattering  witness  to  speak,  that  our 
pursuits  and  intentions  are  not  such  as  would  be  desir- 
able in  the  prospect  of  a  certain  and  speedy  death  ? 


Published  by  the  Tract  Acsociation  of  Friends, 
No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia. 


No.  154. 


THE  TRUE 

CHRISTIAN  COMMUNION. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
No.  304  Arch  Street, 

1886, 


THE  COMMUNION. 


The  communion  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  w 
a  mystery  hid  from  men  in  the  first  or  fallen  and  de- 
generate state,  which  they  cannot  understand  nor  com- 
prehend, as  they  there  abide,  neither  can  they  be  par- 
ticipators of  it,  nor  yet  are  they  able  to  discern  the 
Lord's  body.  Hence  the  outward  supper  was  not  in- 
stituted as  an  ordinance  by  our  Lord,  who  was  and  is 
himself  the  bread  and  water  of  life.  The  Lord's  sup- 
per— the  realization  of  those  words,"  I  will  come  in  to  him, 
and  will  sup  with  him  and  he  with  me,"*  and  "Except 
ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and  drink  his  blood, 
ye  have  no  life  in  you,"f — like  unto  his  baptism,  "If  I 
wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me,"J  is  a  spiritual 
experience.  It  is  not  by  these  supposed  ordinances, 
but,  says  the  Apostle  Peter,  "  Unto  us  are  given  exceeding 
great  and  precious  promises,  that  by  these  ye  might  be 
made  partakers  of  the  Divine  nature. "§ 

And  whilst  some  think  that  the  outward  observances 
may  aid  in  the  attainment  of  the  substance,  we  believe, 
that  to  a  very  far  greater  extent,  and  in  a  far  greater 
degree,  do  those  observances,  and  the  great  importance  * 
attached  to  them,  cause  the  mind  to  be  diverted  from, 
and  fall  short  of  the  blessed  reality. 

We  readily  admit  that  Christ  broke  bread  with  his 
disciples,  and  that  after  He  left  them,  they  were  accus- 
tomed to  do  so  among  themselves ;  that  "  the  breaking 
of  bread"  was,  indeed,  a  prevalent  practice  with  them, 

*  Rev.  iii.  20.    f  John  V\,  53.    t  John  xiii.  8.    g  2  Peter,  i.  4. 


THE  COMMUNION. 


3 


and  that  the  injunction,  "  This  do  in  remembrance  of 
me,"  might  apply  to  the  "Passover  Supper,"  which  He 
was  then  keeping,  or  to  the  practice  of  "  breaking 
bread,"  or  to  both;  and  that  these  early  Christians  had 
their  public  repasts,  of  which  the  rich  and  the  poor  par- 
took together,  their  "love  feasts,"  in  which  they  did 
"  show  forth  the  Lord's  death."  But  to  "show  forth 
the  Lord's  death,"  and  to  partake  of  "the  flesh  and 
blood  of  Christ,"  are,  it  is  obvious,  two  different  things. 
We  do  not  believe  that  our  Lord  instituted  any  outward 
observance  as  of  permanent  obligation  on  his  church  ;  or 
that  the  practice  of  the  early  members  thereof  rendered 
it  so,  any  more  than  did  their  having  all  things  com- 
mon, their  abstinence  from  things  strangled,  their  wash- 
ing one  another's  feet,  or  their  anointing  the  sick  with 
oil,  make  similar  practices  incumbent  upon  us.  It  is 
very  worthy  of  remark,  that  whilst  our  Lord  laid  down 
for  his  church  no  such  observances,  He  continually 
raised  the  thoughts  of  those  around  Him  from  the 
things  of  the  earth  to  the  higher  truths  of  his  kingdom. 
Thus  did  He  take  occasion,  when  drinking  water  at 
the  well  of  Samaria,  to  tell  the  woman  and  ourselves  of 
that  living  water  which  He  gives,  and  which  He  is.  But 
He  did  not  thereby  establish  any  special  connection  be- 
tween that  truth  and  Jacob's  well.  So  when  the  Jews 
followed  Him,  because  they  "  did  eat  of  the  loaves,  and 
were  filled,"  He  told  them  of  "  that  meat  which  endureth 
unto  everlasting  life;"  and  of  "the  bread  which  com- 
■  th  down  from  heaven."  And  so  again,  when  He  was 
at  supper  with  his  disciples,  He  uses  the  bread  and  the 
wine  as  figures  of  the  body  which  should  be  broken, 
and  the  blood  which  should  be  shed  for  the  remission 
of  sins ;  and  teaches  them,  that  as  their  bodies  are  fed 
and  nourished  by  the  outward  food,  so  might  their 
souls  feed  on  Him  whose  "flesh  is  meat  indeed,"  and 


4 


THE  COMMUNION. 


v»  hose  " blood  is  drink  indeed."*  "  This,"  said  He,  "is 
that  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven ;  not  as  your 
fathers  did  eat  manna  and  are  dead ;  he  that  eateth  of 
this  bread,  shall  live  forever. "f 

Therefore  we  believe  there  is  no  necessary  relation 
between  the  external  ceremony,  and  the  spiritual  eating 
and  drinking.  But  rather  in  any  and  every  time  and 
place,  without  the  use  of  any  elements,  yea,  as  oft  as 
they  meet  together,  the  true  children  of  God,  they  who 
live  by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God,  may  be  favored  to  feed 
together,  in  a  spiritual  sense,  on  the  body  and  blood  of 
Christ,  and  experience  the  true  communion  with  their 
Holy  Head,  and  one  with  another  in  Him. 

Great  stress  is  laid,  by  those  who  regard  the  outward 
supper  as  an  ordinance  of  Christ,  on  the  words,  "  Do 
this  in  remembrance  of  me."  But  Matthew,  who  gives 
a  very  minute  description  of  our  Lord's  supper  with  his 
disciples, — and  it  should  not  be  overlooked  that  in  eat- 
ing this  supper,  our  Lord  was  keeping  the  Passover 
with  his  disciples — Matthew,  who  wrote  at  a  much 
earlier  date  than  either  of  the  other  evangelists,  who 
was  himself  present,  says  nothing  of  those  words  upon 
which  alone  could  the  supposed  new  ordinance  have 
been  founded.  Mark,  the  companion  of  Peter,  whose 
narrative  is  believed  to  have  been  written  under  his 
superintendence,  if  not  from  his  dictation,  which  is 
throughout  characterized  by  the  exactness  of  its  details, 
makes  no  reference  to  them.  Neither  does  the  other 
eyewitness,  the  beloved  John,  who  "was  leaning  on 
Jesus'  bosom;"  of  the  four  evangelists,  these  words  are 
given  by  Luke  only.  But  from  this  we  do  not  conclude 
that  they  were  not  spoken;  on  the  contrary,  from  the 
testimony  of  Luke,  and  from  their  repetition  by  Paul, 
we  fully  accept  them  as  a  part  of  the  discourse.  But 

*  John  vi.  55.  t  John  vi.  58. 


THE  COMMUNION. 


5 


we  do  conclude  therefrom,  that  in  the  estimation  of  the 
apostles,  who  themselves  were  present,  but  did  not  re^ 
cord  them,  that  there  was  no  thought  on  the  part  of  our 
Lord,  to  base  thereon  a  continuance  of  the  then  present, 
or  the  establishment  of  a  new  ordinance  in  his  church. 

The  expression,  "  Do  this  in  remembrance  of  me," 
recorded  in  the  Gospels  only  by  Luke,  the  companion 
of  Paul,  while  there  is  nothing  in  the  incident,  as  re- 
gards the  bread,  necessarily  binding  it  upon  the  future 
church,  is  seen  in  regard  to  the  cup,  to  be  but  a  de 
tached  sentence  from  the  words  of  our  Lord,  which 
Paul  himself  quotes  more  completely  as  follows  :  "  This 
do  ye,  as  oft  as  ye  drink  it,  in  remembrance  of  me." 
The  supply  of  the  clause  which  is  missing  in  Luke, 
more  clearly  changes  the  aspect  of  the  command  to  a 
command  for  a  remembrance  rather  than  for  a  rite. 
They  were  not  commanded  to  drink  it  as  a  standing 
ordinance  for  the  future  church  ;  but  were  told,  when- 
ever they  should  drink  it,  to  do  so  in  remembrance  of 
Him ;  whereas  heretofore  they  had  done  it  in  remem- 
brance of  the  passover  deliverance  under  Moses. 

While  it  is  thus  assumed  by  the  Lord, — who  said  He 
had  many  things  to  say  to  them  hereafter  by  his  Spirit, 
but  they  could  not  bear  them  then, — that  they  would 
be  likely  to  go  on  with  a  custom  which  under  Judaism 
had  become  binding  upon  their  consciences,  just  as  dis- 
ciples continued  for  a  time  to  practice  the  rite  of  cir- 
cumcision, of  divers  washings,  &c,  we  see  in  Jesus* 
words  to  them,  or  in  their  own  practices,  no  command 
to  future  generations,  save  in  that  spiritual  sense  in 
which  they  were  commanded  much  more  explicitly,  in 
the  same  interview,  to  wash  one  another's  feet. 

It  has  been  said  that  we  should  not  overlook  that 
this  was  the  Passover  Supper,  instituted  in  remem- 
brance of  Israel's  deliverance  out  of  Egypt.  Buxtorf 


6 


THE  COMMUNION. 


and  other  writers  inform  us  that  "  at  the  celebration  ot 
the  Passover,  it  was  the  custom  among  the  Jews,  for 
the  master  of  the  family  to  take  bread,  and  bless  and 
break  it,  and  give  it  unto  the  rest ;  likewise  to  take  the 
cup,  and  give  thanks  and  distribute  it;"  so  that  the 
very  actions  performed  by  Christ  were  "paschal  ac- 
tions;" and  He  tells  them  at  that  feast  of  unleavened 
bread,  instituted  in  remembrance  of  their  deliverance 
out  of  Egypt,  henceforth,  as  oft  as  they  eat  it,  to  do  it 
in  remembrance  of  .Him,  their  soul's  Saviour  and  De- 
liverer out  of  spiritual  Egypt.  Hence  the  apostolic  ex- 
hortation, "Purge  out,  therefore,  the  old  leaven,  that 
ye  may  be  a  new  lump,  as  ye  are  unleavened.  For  even 
Christ  our  Passover  is  sacrificed  for  us;  therefore,  let 
us  keep  the  feast,  not  with  old  leaven,  neither  with  the 
leaven  of  malice  and  wickedness,  but  with  the  unleavened 
bread  of  sincerity  and  truth."* 

But  whilst  on  the  solemn  occasion  of  which  we  have 
been  speaking,  our  Lord  gave  no  commandment  re- 
specting the  supper,  He  did  another  act,  in  very  posi- 
tive terms,  "  He  riseth  from  supper,  and  laid  aside  his 
garments,  and  took  a  towel  and  girded  himself.  After 
that  He  poureth  water  into  a  basin,  and  began  to  wash 
the  disciples'  feet,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel 
wherewith  He  was  girded,  "f  "  So  after  He  had  washed 
their  feet,  and  had  taken  his  garments,  and  was  sat  down 
again,  He  said  unto  them,  know  ye  what  I  have  done 
unto  you  ?  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord ;  and  ye  say 
well ;  for  so  I  am.  If  I,  then,  your  Lord  and  Master, 
have  washed  your  feet,  ye  also  ought  to  wash  one  another's 
feet.  For  I  have  given  you  an  example  that  ye  should  do  as 
I  have  done  unto  you"%  Here  are  the  accompaniments 
equally  striking,  and  the  words  much  more  explicit 
than  those  respecting  the  bread  and  wine.    It  is  at 

*  1  Cor.,  v.  7,  8.       f  John  xivi.  4,  5.       t  John  xiii.  12,  13,  14. 


THE  COMMUNION. 


7 


once  seen,  that  the  washing  of  feet  does  not  become  a 
standing  ordinance  in  the  church.  The  command  is 
positive  and  limited,  not  moral  and  universal ;  having 
reference  to  the  peculiar  habits  of  the  persons  ad- 
dressed, and  binding  only  on  them.  What  we  have  to 
learn  from  it,  is  a  lesson  of  brotherly  love  and  humility, 
a  willingness  to  wash  one  another's  feet,  in  the  sense  in 
which  we  are  elsewhere  enjoined,  to  "  give  unto  one  of 
these  little  ones  a  cup  of  cold  water."  And  we  can  see 
no  reason  why  a  different  mode  of  interpretation  is  to  be 
adopted  with  regard  to  the  bread  and  the  wine. 

"We  cannot  but  esteem  any  departure  from  the  truth 
and  simplicity  and  spirituality  of  the  gospel,  either  in 
doctrine  or  practice,  but  as  objectionable.  If  we  re- 
view, and  we  can  do  so  but  most  imperfectly,  the  his- 
tory of  this  subject,  from  the  day  that  our  Lord  "  did 
eat  the  Passover  with  his  disciples,"  to  the  present  time, 
we  shall  see  that  the  making  it  an  outward  ordinance 
or  sacrament,  contrary  to  its  truly  spiritual  character, 
has  been,  and  yet  is,  the  prolific  source  of  exaggerated 
and  false  notions,  of  contentions  and  heresies,  beyond, 
perhaps  any  other  subject,  far  beyond  the  power  of 
words  to  express,  or  the  human  mind  adequately  to  con- 
ceive. Yet,  to  quote  Barclay:  "If  any  now  at  this 
day,  from  a  true  tenderness  of  spirit,  and  with  real  con- 
science towards  God,  did  practice  this  ceremony  in  the 
same  way,  method  and  manner,  as  did  the  primitive 
Christians  recorded  in  Scripture,  I  should  not  doubt  to 
affirm  but  they  might  be  indulged  in  it,  and  the  Lord 
might  regard  them,  and  for  a  season  appear  to  them  in 
the  use  of  these  things,  as  many  of  us  have  known  Him 
to  do  to  us  in  the  time  of  our  ignorance;  providing, 
always,  they  did  not  seek  to  obtrude  them  upon  others, 
nor  judge  such  as  found  themselves  delivered  from 
them,  or  that  they  do  not  pertinaciously  adhere  to  them. 


8 


THE  COMMUNION. 


For  we  certainly  know  that  the  day  is  dawned  in  which 
God  hath  arisen,  and  has  dismissed  all  those  ceremonies 
and  rites,  and  is  only  to  be  worshipped  in  spirit,  and 
that  He  appears  to  them  who  wait  upon  Him  ;  and  that 
to  seek  God  in  these  things  is,  with  Mary  at  the  sepul- 
chre, to  seek  the  living  among  the  dead  :  for  we  know 
that  He  is  risen,  and  revealed  in  Spirit',  leading  his 
children  out  of  these  rudiments,  that  they  may  walk  with 
Him  in  his  light,  to  whom  be  glory  for  ever.  Amen." 

The  righteous  in  all  ages  have,  at  times,  refreshingly 
felt  a  heavenly  communion  between  the  soul  and  its 
Maker;  a  spiritual  intercourse  in  the  silence  of  all 
flesh,  and  in  the  absence  of  all  thought  or  words,  as 
it  is  unspeakable,  and  deeper  than  human  language  can 
express.  The  same  living,  incomprehensible  Word 
that  spoke  to  Moses,  the  man  of  God,  on  Horeb,  was 
manifested  in  the  transfiguration  of  Christ  on  the 
mount,  saying:  "This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I 
am  well  pleased  ;  hear  ye  Him."  And  how  do  we 
hear  Him  ?  Not  in  the  thunderings  of  Sinai,  but  in 
silent  communion  with  Him  through  the  "  still,  small 
voice,"  in  the  soul,  which  speaks  as  never  man  was 
heard  to  speak.  And  it  is  thus  that  we  become  re- 
freshed as  with  "the  dew  of  Hermon,  and  as  the  dew 
that  descended  upon  the  mountains  of  Z ion ;  for  there  the 
Lord  commanded  the  blessing,  even  life  forevermore." 

The  more  we  walk  in  the  light  of  Him  who  is  the 
light  of  the  world,  the  more  we  shall  increase  in  fellow- 
ship with  Him,  and  the  more  frequent  and  refreshing 
and  strengthening  our  communion  will  be.  And  thufe 
we  shall  grow  in  grace,  and  in  one  degree  of  experience 
to  a  higher,  even  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord ;  and  we 
shall  witness  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  to  cleanse  us 
from  all  sin. 


No.  155. 


VULGAR 

AND 

Profane  Language/ 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1886. 


Vulgar  and  Profane  Language. 


How  often,  as  we  travel  our  streets,  do  we  have  our 
"ear  pained  and  our  soul  sickened,"  by  hearing  the 
frequent  utterance  of  oaths,  imprecations  or  curses, — 
*  the  old,  the  middle-aged  and  the  young,  alike  indulge 
in  the  w7icked  and  vulgar  practice  of  profane  swearing. 
Sometimes  it  comes  from  the  ignorant,  who  have  had 
little  but  evil  example,  and  again  it  is  heard  from  those 
who  desire  to  be  considered  respectable,  and  who  pos- 
sess a  reasonably  good  literary  education.  Boys  swear 
because  they  hear  men  do  so,  thinking  it  will  give  them 
character  and  standing  as  men.  Men  frequently  make 
use  of  oaths  to  give  emphasis  or  force  to  their  assertions, 
falsely  thinking  to  impress  their  hearers  more  fully  witli 
the  truthfulness  of  what  they  say, — without  thought, 
apparently,  of  the  sinfulness  of  taking  their  Maker's 
name  in  vain. 

Pause  and  reflect !  Boys,  it  will  not  give  you  char- 
acter or  good  standing  to  swear ;  on  the  contrary,  it 
will  degrade  you  in  the  estimation  of  all  whose  good 
opinion  is  worth  having.  It  is  a  gross  sin,  thus  to  vio- 
late a  positive  command  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  who 
has  said  :  "  But  I  say  unto  you,  swear  not  at  all ;  neither 
by  heaven,  for  it  is  God's  throne.    Nor  by  the  earth, 


VULGAR    AND    PROFANE  LANGUAGE. 


3 


for  it  is  bis  footstool ;  neither  by  Jerusalem,  for  it  is 
the  city  of  the  great  King." —(Matt.  v.  34-35.)  And 
the  Apostle  James  says:  "But,  above  all  things,  my 
brethren,  swear  not,  neither  by  heaven,  neither  by  the 
earth,  neither  by  any  other  oath;  but  let  your  yea  be 
yea,  and  your  nay,  nay ;  lest  ye  fall  into  condemna- 
tion."— (James  v.  12.)  Awful,  indeed,  will  be  the 
condition,  when  they  appear  before  the  Judge  of  quick 
and  dead,  of  those  who  continue  in  their  evil  ways, 
and  repent  not  of  their  sins. 

He  who  thinks  he  will  the  sooner  be  believed  by  ac- 
companying his  assertion  with  an  oath,  may  be  assured 
that  quite  the  contrary  is  true,  of  which  he  might  con- 
vince himself  if  he  would  reflect  a  little.  He  must  see, 
that  one  given  to  profanity  or  blasphemy,  is  not  worthy 
of  belief.  He  that  has  not  within  himself  principles 
which  will  preserve  him  from  thus  offending  his  Creator, 
who  holds  the  tender  thread  of  his  life  at  will,  can  have 
but  little  love  of  truth  and  virtue  in  him. 

The  Lord  of  hosts  lias  said,  "  Thou  shalt  not  take  the 
name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in  vain,  for  the  Lord  will 
not  hold  him  guiltless  that  taketh  his  name  in  vain." — 
(Deut,  v.  11.)  Yet  praised  and  magnified  be  his  Holy 
Name,  in  mercy  He  often  spares  us  in  our  crimes,  to 
afford  us  opportunity  and  means  for  repentance. 

It  may  be  safely  asserted,  that  the  practice  of  profane 
swearing  is  one  of  unmingled  evil.  It  destroys  all  re- 
spect for  sacred  things, — lowers  the  standard  of  morality, 
— brutalizes  the  character  and  conduct, — injures  the 
reputation, — and  is,  in  short  opposed  to  all  the  best  in- 


4 


VULGAR   AND   PROFANE  LANGUAGE. 


terests  of  society.  It  is  a  crime  equally  without  reason 
and  without  excuse.  It  raises  a  man's  character  neither 
for  veracity,  intellect,  taste  nor  courage. 

If  even  for  "  every  idle  word  that  men  shall  speak,  they 
shall  give  account  thereof  in  the  day  of  judgment," 
(Matt.  xii.  36),  how  will  he  stand  who  is  guilty  of  pro- 
fanity ?  "  For  by  thy  words,  thou  shalt  be  justified,  and 
by  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  condemned."  (Matt.  xii. 
37.) 

Boys,  and  young  persons  especially,  should  be  cau- 
tioned against  using  vile  and  indecent  words.  These 
are  the  expressions  of  an  impure  mind,  of  a  heart  that 
is  not  clean  in  the  Divine  sight.  When  indulged  inv 
they  often  prove  the  stepping-stones  to  unlawful  and 
wicked  acts,  and  into  that  path  which  leads  to  the  cham- 
bers of  death.  Such  language  excludes  those  who  in- 
dulge in  it,  from  the  society  of  the  pure  and  those  who 
love  holiness. 

A  sea  captain,  who  had  made  voyages  to  foreign 
countries,  was  guilty  of  great  profanity.  He  knew  this 
was  very  sinful,  and  he  earnestly  prayed  to  his  Heavenly 
Father  for  strength  to  enable  him  to  overcome  it.  After 
a  deep  conflict  of  spirit,  the  evil  inclination  was  taken 
away  from  him,  and  although  he  lived  a  number  of 
years  afterward,  he  was  never  again  tempted  to  swear 
Reader!  if  thou  ever  gives  way  to  profanity,  go  and  do 
likewise. 


No.  156. 

REMARKABLE  CONVERSION 

OF 

JOHN  EOSS. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1892. 


Remarkable  Conversion  of  John  Ross. 


John  Ross  lived  and  died  in  ISatick,  Massachu- 
setts. He  was  a  bricklayer  by  trade.  In  early  life  he 
had  been  industrious  and  frugal.  By  his  own  savings 
and  by  marriage,  he  had  come  into  possession  of  a  hand- 
some property  and  lived  for  some  years  in  independent 
ease  and  happiness  with  his  family.  But  for  ten  years 
previous  to  1824,  he  had  ceased  to  labor  and  spent  his 
whole  time  wandering  from  tavern  to  tavern  for  ten  or 
twelve  miles  around  his  house  in  drinking  of  rum,  smok- 
ing and  chewing  tobacco,  profane  swearing  and  low 
pastime.  He  is  said  by  one  who  knew  him  during 
those  ten  years  to  have  become  at  last  a  vulgar,  noisy, 
disagreeble  person  of  very  weak  mind  and  profane  beyond 
description.  His  conversation  was  a  continued  uttering 
of  vulgar  and  blasphemous  expressions.  What  little 
mind  he  once  had  seemed  to  have  been  nearly  blotted 
out  by  his  idle,  drunken,  and  low  habits.  Even  his 
physical  powers  were  nearly  exhausted.  He  had  almost 
lost  the  use  of  his  limbs.  His  speech  was  so  impaired 
by  enfeeblement  under  dissipation  that  he  could  scarcely 
articulate  words.  In  appearance  he  was  a  brutal,  star- 
ing idiot,  and  his  friends  were  in  daily  expectation  of 
his  death  from  simple  exhaustion  in  some  drunken  revel. 
He  never  attended  a  place  of  worship.  He  would  not 
listen  to  any  friendly  religious  conversation.    He  had 


4 


REMARKABLE  CONVERSION  OF 


however,  two  good  traits,  kindness  and  generosity.  His 
wife  is  said  to  have  been  a  diffident,  shrinking,  pious 
woman,  whom  he  always] respected  and  treated  with  defer- 
ence and  some  affection,  even  in  his  worst  moods.  He  had 
one  daughter  and  two  sons.  They  were  all  respectable 
and  well  beloved,  and  he  was  proud  and  fond  of  them. 
Such  were  the  circumstances  and  character  of  John 
Ross  when  he  returned  from  his  usual  drunken  tramp 
and  retired  to  bed  in  his  home  one  night  in  the  Eighth 
month,  1824. 

The  next  morning  he  awoke  and  arose  a  very  differ- 
ent man.  To  the  amazement  of  his  family  he  met  them 
in  the  morning  with  a  serious  and  placid  countenance. 
He  neither  drank  his  rum,  smoked  his  pipe,  swore,  nor 
started  towards  his  wonted  places  of  debauch.  But  in 
silence  he  took  the  Bible,  which  he  had  not  opened  for 
years,  and  sat  reading.  He  kept  the  state  of  his  mind 
a  secret,  but  his  family  and  neighbors  were  utterly  as- 
tonished at  the  change  wrought  in  his  conduct  and 
entirely  unable  to  account  for  it.  - 

For  some  months  he  said  nothing  to  atry  one,  not 
even  to  his  wife  and  children,  about  the  state  of  his 
mind,  but  continued  to  read  his  Bible,  and  spent  much 
of  his  time  alone.  Little  by  little,  however,  at  last  he 
spoke  of  his  thoughts.  Next  he  began  to  go  around  to 
his  old  associates  in  vice,  warning  them  of  their  guilt 
and  danger,  telling  them  of  the  Saviour  he  had  found,  and 
affectionately  exhorting  them  to  repentance  and  refor- 
mation. But  they  only  laughed  and  swore  in  return, 
for  they  had  no  confidence  in  him.    He  sought  out  the 


JOHN  ROSS. 


5 


poor,  sick,  and  afflicted  creatures  of  his  old  haunts  for 
ten  or  twelve  miles  around,  reading  the  Bible,  talking, 
and  praying  with  them.  Everybody  was  astonished,  but 
nobody  who  knew  him  believed  in  him.  Some  said  it 
was  a  crazy  freak  and  would  soon  be  over,  and  even  the 
Christian  portion  of  the  community  made  nothing  of  it. 
He  took  their  distrust  and  ridicule  patiently  and  said, 
"  I  do  not  wonder  people  feel  so  about  me."  But  they 
really  did  not  know  or  believe  what  the  Saviour  could 
do  for  a  poor,  lost  man. 

All  this  time  nothing  could  provoke  Ross  to  swear, 
or  tempt  him  either  to  drink  or  smoke.  Thus  matters 
went  on  until  the  spring  following  the  Eighth  month 
when  his  wonderful  experience  had  occurred.  He  then 
for  the  first  made  known  the  particulars  of  his  experi- 
ence and  his  state  of  mind  to  the  pastor  of  a  congrega- 
tion in  his  town,  and  asked  to  be  admitted  as  a  member. 
The  pastor  had  no  confidence  in  him  and  put  him  off. 
He  accepted  the  rebuff  patiently,-  nothing  cooled  or  set 
back.  Another  congregation  invited  him  to  join  them, 
but  he  declined,  as  his  preference  was  decided.  After  a 
few  weeks  he  again  applied  to  the  congregation  of  his 
choice,  but  was  again  turned  away.  He  was  still  patient 
and  happy,  and  his  conduct  uniformly  consistent.  In- 
deed, he  was  so  uncomplaining  at  his  treatment  and 
so  sweet-tempered  that  he  was  at  length  received  into 
the  church;  and  (it  is  claimed)  no  faltering  step  or 
stain  of  inconsistency  could  be  laid  to  his  charge  from 
that  day  to  the  day  of  his  death,  thirty-five  years  after- 
wards. 


6 


REMARKABLE  CONVERSION  OF 


Painful  trials  fell  to  his  lot.  His  wife  died;  his 
daughter  fell  into  a  lingering  epilepsy  and  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three.  His  youngest  son,  married  by  this 
time,  failed  in  business  and  died,  and  his  eldest  was  soon 
after  instantly  killed  by  an  accident  whilst  at  his  work. 
His  property  depreciated.  He  was  left  at  last  poor  and 
alone  in  the  world.  Through  all  these  changes  he 
maintained  his  integrity  and  his  reliance  upon  God,  and 
was  at  all  times  a  cheerful,  happy,  consistent  follower 
of  his  chosen  Saviour.  He  mourned  the  loss  of  his 
family  and  wept  in  his  sorrow  and  loneliness,  but  still 
would  say,  "  Christ  is  more  precious  than  all." 

The  members  of  a  certain  religious  society  in  town 
which  strenuously  opposed  the  doctrine  of  regeneration 
and  ridiculed  it,  were  constrained  to  say  they  must  be- 
lieve that  John  Koss  was  supernaturally  renewed,  for 
nothing  but  supreme  power,  they  said,  could  effect  so 
great  and  so  permanent  a  change  in  such  a  man  as  they 
had  known  him  to  be.  He  made  no  parade  of  his  per- 
sonal experiences  and  was  even  reluctant  to  speak  of 
them,  but  when  his  attention  became  fixed  upon  the 
night  of  his  remarkable  change  his  eyes  would  fill  with 
tears  and  his  utterance  become  difficult  because  of  his 
deep  emotion. 

After  the  last  of  his  family  had  died  and  his  property 
had  vanished  he  lived  in  a  humble  house,  where  his 
friends  made  him  comfortable.  He  read  the  Bible  con- 
stantly, wearing  several  copies  entirely  out.  At  last  his 
eyesight  began  to  fail,  and  so  continued  until  he  became 
totally  blind.    Still  his  memory  retained  the  words  of 


JOHN  ROSS. 


7 


Scripture,  and  his  sweet  spirit,  his  holy  conversation, 
and  his  apt  use  of  Scripture  made  his  humble  home  a 
resort  for  those  who  loved  God  and  his  truth.  To  such 
visitors  he  would  say,  "  I  am  all  alone ;  my  wife  is  dead, 
my  property  is  used  up,  my  children  are  dead,  my  eyes 
have  gone  out ;  I  am  alone  and  poor  and  blind ;  but  it 
makes  no  odds.  Jesus  is  my  Saviour.  Christ  does  not 
die ;  Christ  is  not  poor ;  Christ  never  leaves  me ;  Christ 
is  always  with  me.  I  know  Him.  I  have  seen  Him. 
And  anybody  who  has  seen  him  once  will  never  want 
anything  else  if  they  can  have  Him  !" 

In  explanation  of  the  change  that  came  over  him  so  sud- 
denly in  one  night  he  insisted  that  during  that  night 
Jesus  appeared  to  him.  His  face,  as  Ross  saw  it, 
seemed  so  pure,  so  lovely  and  so  friendly  to  him  that 
when  he  awoke  he  "  forgot"  his  old  vices,  and  so  loved 
his  Saviour  that  he  could  not  displease  Him.  When 
asked  what  caused  the  great  change  in  his  life  his  eyes 
would  fill  with  tears  while  he  replied,  "  Why,  the  sight 
of  the  face  of  Jesus,  so  pure,  so  loving,  so  beautiful. 
He  did  not  speak ;  He  only  looked  at  me :  and  his  look 
told  me  that  there  was  hope  for  me — that  I  could  be 
forgiven,  I  could  be  purified.  I  looked  at  Him  and 
cried  like  a  child.  I  felt  that  I  was  a  vile,  miserable, 
wicked  wretch,  filthier  than  a  dunghill.  I  cannot  tell 
dow  I  felt.  When  I  looked  at  Him  I  was  too  happy  to 
be  afraid,  but  when  I  looked  at  myself  I  was  too  afraid 
to  be  happy.  As  soon  as  I  could  see  in  the  morning 
I  got  my  Bible,  which  I  had  not  opened  for  years,  and 
read  how  Christ  cleansed  the  lepers  and  healed  the 


8  REMARKABLE  CONVERSION  OF  JOHN  ROSS. 

blind  beggar.  I  forgot  all  about  rum  and  tobacco.  I 
was  thinking  so  much  about  Christ,  so  pure,  so  lovely, 
so  beautiful,  so  friendly.  He  was  all  heaven,  all  grace 
and  beauty." 

This  wonderful  visitation  of  Divine  love  to  John 
Ross  which  wrought  in  his  heart  such  a  deep  con- 
viction of  his  exceeding  sinfulness,  was  not  in  vain.  He 
continued  reading  his  Bible  and  struggling  within  him- 
self for  eight  months.  At  the  end  of  that  time  Christ 
was  pleased  to  manifest  himself  again  to  him  as  his 
Saviour  from  sin.  Ross  said,  "I  did  not  see  Christ 
this  time,  but  I  felt  him  in  my  spirit.  My  sins  were 
forgiven,  my  distress  was  all  gone,  and  I  was  happy  as 
heaven." 

His  humble  home  was  a  resort  for  miles  around,  of 
godly  people  who  went  to  witness  his  holy  life. 

"  On  a  fine  summer  morning,"  one  who  knew  him 
writes, "  the  glorious  old-new  creature  would  crawl  out  of 
doors  and,  seating  himself  on  the  grassy  bank  in  front  of 
his  humble  home,  turning  his  sightless  face  to  the  sun  to 
feel  its  warmth,  would  say, '  The  door  is  open  into  heav- 
en, just  a  little  crack,  and  I  shall  soon  see  Jesus  again. 
I  shall  know  Him.  He  will  look  just  so.'  "  And  so  he 
lived  until  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 


No.  157. 


Z  U  L  U 

THE  GREEK  CHIEFTAIN. 


Basil  Patras  Zulu  was  bora  in  Greece,  in  the  year 
1804.  He  was  a  chief  by  birth,  and  when  only  eleven 
year-  old,  his  father  being  deceased,  he  was  taken  from 
under  the  care  of  his  mother,  by  the  chiefs  of  his  tribe 
and  placed  at  their  head.  The  Greeks  were  then  in 
active  rebellion  against  their  old  masters,  the  Turks; 
and  Basil  was  not  only  educated  as  a  warrior,  but  with 
the  most  intense  hatred  of  those  who  were  then  oppres- 
sing, and  had  for  centuries  tyrannized  over  his  nation. 
The  boy-warrior  was  active,  bold  and  energetic,  and, 
being  beloved  by  his  tribe,  whom  he  led  to  bloody 
victories,  be  was  as  cordially  hated  by  the  Turks,  who 
offered  a  reward  for  his  head  before  he  was  sixteen  years 
of  age.  He  waa  one  of  a  band,  who,  having  defended 
Missolonghi  against  the  army  of  Turkey,  and  the  Egyp- 
tian fleet,  until  it  was  no  longer  defensible,  cut  its  way 
through  the  Turkish  camp,  leaving  the  pathway  covered 
with  fallen  enemies  and  stricken  friends.    One  half  the 


ZULU  THE  GREEK  CHIEFTAIN. 


band  fell  in  the  attempt,  and  Basil  himself  was  severely 
wounded.  He,  however,  was  one  that  effected  the 
passage.  He  was  sick  of  the  horrible  scenes  he  beheld ; 
for  although  he  had  a  passion  for  war  and  victory,  and 
on  the  battle-field  showed  no  compunction  for  the 
slaughter  of  multitudes,  yet  he  loathed  the  terrible  acts 
of  revenge  and  retaliation  which  he  witnessed.  At  last 
having  in  vain  remonstrated  with  his  countrymen  against 
the  cold  blooded  murder  of  a  band  of  captive  Turks,  he 
retired  from  the  Greek  army  with  disgust. 

His  character  and  actions  had  won  for  him  the  respect 
and  admiration  of  many,  and  he  found  active  and  faith- 
ful friends,  under  whose  auspices  he  continued  until 
the  year  1828,  when  he  was  awakened  to  a  serious  con- 
sideration of  the  condition  of  his  own  soul,  under  the 
ministry  of  the  Moravians.  In  a  hotel  in  Dublin,  a 
Moravian  woman  in  his  presence  offered  up  a  prayer  so 
different  from  anything  he  had  ever  heard,  that  it  im- 
mediately drew  his  attention.  As  a  Greek,  he  had,  in 
times  of  danger,  called  upon  the  Virgin  Mary  for  aid ; 
but  he  knew  nothing  of  a  heart-cleansing,  heart-changing 
religion,  and  of  that  faith  and  love  which  animated  the 
utterances  of  this  woman.  He  inquired  to  what  com- 
munity of  Christians  the  woman  belonged;  he  read 
the  history  of  the  Moravians,  he  attended  at  their  place 
of  worship,  and  having,  through  submission  to  the 
inward  work  of  the  Spirit,  been  thoroughly  .roused,  he 
very  naturally  entered  into  communion  with  that  body 
of  Christians,  through  whom,  or  with  whom,  he  had 
been  spiritually  blessed. 

The  chief,  proud  of  his  birth  and  station,  the  accom- 
plished man,  whose  society  had  been  courted  by  the 


ZULU  THE  (JREEK  CHIEFTAIN. 


3 


best  circles  where  he  had  travelled ;  the  fierce  soldier, 
was  soon  found  mingling  in  Christian  union  among  the 
simple-hearted  Moravians.  He  had  deemed  that  to 
fight  for  one's  country  was  a  glorious  privilege,  and, 
whilst  ever  gentle  and  courteous  to  his  friends,  he  had 
thought  himself  bound,  as  a  good  citizen,  to  hate  the 
enemies  of  Greece.  He  had  often  declared  his  belief 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  his  apostles  would  have 
had  no  mercy  on  the  Turks,  the  bloody  tyrants,  the 
insatiable  plunderers  of  Greece ;  but  he  now  soon  found 
that  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  laid  the  axe 
to  the  evil  root  in  man's  nature,  from  which  alone  war, 
revenge  and  angry  feelings  can  spring.  One  of  the 
Moravians  who  had  been  specially  delegated  to  answer 
his  inquiries  and  to  instruct  him  in  needful  things  was 
surprised,  one  day  by  Basil  entering  into  his  room,  and 
in  great  agitation  exclaiming  :  "  Come,  now  !  come  !  I 
see  it  now  !"  Hastily  leading  his  instructor  to  his 
own  apartment,  the  late  soldier  pointed  to  the  text, 
Matthew,  v.  44,  "  Love  your  enemies !  Love  your 
enemies  !"  "  I  see  it  now  ! — even  the  Turks  !  It  bids  us 
love  our  enemies,  even  the  Turks  !  even  the  Turks  !" 

The  spirit  of  the  Gospel  was  more  and  more  opened 
to  him,  and,  through  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  it 
more  and  more  ruled  in  him.  He  became  a  devoted 
Christian,  a  lover  of  peace,  desiring  the  good  of  all 
men,  even  of  the  Turks.  The  tumults,  the  fears^  the 
bloody  strifes  which  had  been  abundantly  his  portion 
during  his  childhood  and  youth,  had  given  place  to  a 
quiet  retirement  in  Ireland;  to  the  humble  yet  heart- 
cheering  comforts  of  domestic  life ;  to  loving  labors  for 
the  good  of  others,  and  for  the  spreading  of  the  dear 


4 


ZULU  THE  GREEK  CHIEFTAIN. 


Redeemer's  kingdom  of  righteousness  and  peace.  In 
a  few  years  he  married  that  sister  whose  earnest 
prayer  first  led  him  to  feel  what  true  communion  and 
worship  were.  They  were  prepared  by  supreme  love  to 
the  Saviour,  for  abounding  love  to  each  other,  and  they 
trod  this  world  of  much  sorrow  and  comfort,  in  sweet 
union  until  the  year  1844,  when  death,  coming  at  a  few 
days'  warning,  found  him  ready  with  joy  to  render  up 
his  stewardship.  With  grateful  resignation  he  ex- 
claimed :  "  0  Lord,  my  trust  is  in  thee.  I  am  thine, 
do  with  me  as  seemeth  right  in  thy  sight."  His  time 
was  come,  and  the  Prince  of  Peace,  his  blessed  Saviour, 
gathered  him  to  that  city  of  love  where  all  is  harmony, 
and  not  a  discordant  thought  can  enter. 

The  proud  Greek  chief,  the  fierce  warrior,  hating 
his  enemies,  had,  through  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
been  transformed  into  a  loving,  peaceable,  forgiving 
Christian,  even  into  an  humble,  cross-bearing  disciple 
of  Him  who  prayed  for  his  murderers,  and  who  has 
left  as  a  standing  injunction  on  his  faithful  followers  to 
do  good  to  those  who  hate,  and  to  pray  for  those  who 
despitefully  use  and  persecute.  Near  his  humble  home 
in  Ireland  his  mortal  remains  were  interred;  his  loss 
lamented  by  a  bereaved  family  and  a  sorrowing  church. 
The  world  took  little  note  of  his  death ;  but  a  far  higher, 
far  more  heavenly  glory  attends  his  memory  than  if  he 
had  been  stricken  down  in  some  of  his  scenes  of  mortal 
conflict,  and  had  been  chronicled  in  stirring  poesy  with 
the  Marco  Bozzaris  of  his  fatherland. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philadelphia. 


No.  158- 


THE 

REMEDY  FOR  INTEMPERANCE. 


"For  this  purpose  the  Son  of  God  was  manifested  that  He  might  de- 
stroy the  works  of  the  devil." — 1  John  iii.  8. 


An  earnest  temperance  worker,  speaking  of  the  duties 
of  Christians  towards  the  victims  of  alcoholic  drinks, 
says,  "  Don't  condemn  the  drunkards,  they  don't  need 
that,  for  they  condemn  themselves  more  than  any  one 
else  could;  they  are  to  be  pitied  and  not  condemned." 
He  used  to  appeal  to  them  to  sign  the  pledge,  and  they 
did  so  and  then  would  break  it.  This  appeal  he  has 
lost  confidence  in,  and  now  he  places  his  reliance  on 
that  almighty  Arm  of  Divine  Strength  upon  which,  if 
people  will  lean,  the  victory  over  all  their  soul's  ene- 
mies will  be  given  them.  In  answer  to  the  question 
why  it  is  that  men  who  profess  to  be  Christians,  fall, 
he  says  :  "  It  is  because  they  trust  in  their  own  strength.  " 
He  adds :  "  So  let  us  tell  them  that  there  is  hope;  that  the 
Son  of  man  was  made  manifest  to  destroy  their  appetites, 
and  He  can  do  it  and  take  them  away ;  He  can  turn 
their  tastes  against  it,  and  if  that  is  done,  it  will  soon 
close  up  the  saloons.  In  one  of  our  last  temperance 
meetings  in  Chicago,  a  business  man  got  up  and  told 
the  most  remarkable  story  I  had  heard  for  several  years. 
He  said  that  eight  years  before,  he  was  a  confirmed 
drunkard.   His  father  used  to  give  him  liquor  when  he 


2 


THE     REMEDY     FUR  INTEMPERANCE. 


was  a  little  boy  four  or  five  years  old,  in  England,  and 
died  a  vagrant  and  drunkard.  The  son's  friends  had 
all  left  him  in  Chicago,  and  he  had  been  taken  into 
court  and  pronounced  a  vagrant,  and  sent  off  to  jail. 
And  then  his  only  fear  was  the  policeman,  and  his  only 
ambition  was  to  just  keep  out  of  the  hand  of  the  law, 
and  to  drink  liquor  all  day,  and  sleep  at  night  wherever 
he  could.  One  night  he  went  down  to  the  lake  shore 
and  there  was  a  terrible  storm,  and  for  the  first  time 
in  his  life  he  cried  to  God  to  help  him.  That  was  eight 
years  ago,  and  he  said, i  My  friends,  although  a  vagrant 
and  an  outcast,  God  met  me  there  on  the  lake  shore ;  He 
took  hold  of  my  right  hand,*  and  I  have  never  had  any 
taste  for  liquor  since;  He  has  kept  me  for  eight  years.' 
Now,  I  believe  the  statement  he  made  that  God  destroyed 
it,  root  and  branch." 

The  following  narrative  strikingly  shows  that  all 
merely  human  resolves,  as  well  as  attendance  of  places 
of  worship,  and  joining  temperance  societies,  are  insu£ 
ticient  of  themselves,  to  enable  the  victims  of  the  drink 
appetite,  to  overcome  it.  It  also  shows  that  such,  when 
brought  to  realize  their  own  utter  helplessness,  may  ex-, 
perience  the  destruction  of  this  dreadful  craving,  by 
following  the  leadings  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  which  teaches 
that  we  must  resist  the  devil,  in  his  temptations,  and  that 
he  will  then  flee  from  us. 

Whilst  on  a  religious  visit,  some  years  ago,  to  Tas- 
mania, then  called  Van  Dieman's  Land,  a  penal  colony 
of  Great  Britain,  James  Backhouse,  of  England,  was 
called  on  by  a  man  formerly  a  prisoner,  who  gave 
some  striking  particulars  of  his  life.  He  said  the  first 
occasion  on  which  he  took  spirits,  was  when  going  a 
short  voyage  ;  a  little  was  given  him  in  a  vial,  which  he 
was  charged  to  drink,  lest  he  should  take  cold !  His 
father  was  a  man  who  endeavored  carefully  to  inculcate 

*  Isaiah  xli.  13. 


THE    REMEDY     F  O  R     J  N  T  E  M  PEKA  N  C  E. 


3 


honest  principles  into  his  children,  but  he  was  a  drunk- 
ard! and  his  son  was  sometimes  sent  to  the  public 
house  to  bring  him  home.  On  such  occasions  his  father 
often  gave  him  1  a  little  sup'  in  the  bottom  of  the  glass, 
and  was  amused  at  the  wry  faces  that  the  son  made  on 
drinking  it.  AVhen  the  boy  was  able  to  drink  a  whole 
glassful  his  father  expressed  great  pleasure,  little  antici- 
pating that  he  was  training  his  son  not  only  to  drunken- 
ness, but  through  drunkenness  to  dishonesty. 

At  length  his  son  became  both  a  drunkard  and  a 
thief,  and  was  transported  for  robbery.  He  was  now 
a  prisoner  in  bondage  in  a  foreign  land  ;  but  years  rolled 
on,  and  the  term  of  his  transportation  expired;  he  re- 
gained his  freedom,  but  not  from  the  bondage  of  habitual 
drunkenness ;  this  to  him  was  more  powerful  than  the 
bondage  under  the  laws  of  his  country.  Many  times  he 
sold  his  shirt  for  drink,  and,  to  use  his  own  expression, 
parted  with  the  flesh  off  his  back  for  it  also,  for,  while 
a  prisoner,  he  was  several  times  flogged  for  being  drunk. 

As  soon  as  he  was  loosed  from  his  place  of  punish- 
ment, he  hurried  on  his  clothes,  and,  with  his  back 
bleeding,  went  to  the  first  place  where  drink  was  sold 
and  drank  again !  Often  the  declaration,  "  Drunkards 
shall  not  inherit  eternal  life,"  came  awfully  before  his 
mind ;  he  was  alarmed,  miserable,  ashamed  of  himself, 
and  he  cried  to  God  for  deliverance?  He  joined  the  tem- 
perance society,  resolved  he  would  leave  off  the  use  of 
spirits,  and  drink  only  a  little  wine  or  beer ;  but  these 
kept  alive  his  depraved  appetite. 

He  began  to  attend  the  Methodist  meeting,  hoping 
thereby  to  gain  strength,  but  in  a  few  weeks  he  was 
again  overcome  by  his  old  enemy,  and  being  ashamed 
to  be  met  in  that  condition,  he  left  the  road  and  lost 
himself  in  the  bush,  where  he  remained  all  night  in 
confusion.    Still  in  the  anguish  of  his  soul,  he  cried 


4  THE    REMEDY    FOR  INTEMPERANCE. 

unto  the  Lord  for  deliverance,  and  in  this  state  he  at- 
tended a  religious  meeting,  where  his  attention  was 
directed  to  the  Holy  Spirit  as  a  witness  against  sin 
revealed  in  the  secret  of  the  heart,  and  as  a  guide,  lead- 
ing those  who  attend  to  its  convictions  to  repentance, 
and  to  the  bearing  of  the  cross  in  the  practice  of  self- 
denial,  and  giving  them  a  sense  of  their  weakness,  in 
order  that  they  may  place  their  trust  in  the  Lord  alone, 
obtaining  strength  from  Him  to  perform  his  will,  and 
receive  remission  of  sins  through  Jesus  Christ. 

This  made  a  deep  impression  on  him,  and  under  the 
conviction  wrought  upon  his  mind,  he  sought  Divine 
help  to  leave  off  the  use  of  all  stimulating  liquors.  He 
not  only  forsook  the  use  of  spirits,  but  of  wine  and 
beer,  he  also  left  off  smoking  and  chewing  tobacco,  and 
to  enable  him  the  sooner  to  pay  his  debts,  he  left  off  the 
use  of  tea  and  sugar. 

These  privations-  were  trying  to  him  for  a  few  weeks, 
after  which  time,  the  desire  for  such  indulgence  left 
him,  and  he  found  himself  in  better  health  and  spirits 
than  before.  Several  persons  brought  him  liquor  and 
tried  to  persuade  him  to  drink,  saying  that  as  he  had 
drank,  chewed  and  smoked  so  long,  he  would  certainly 
die  from  leaving  off  these  practices  !  But  he  was  favored 
to  maintain  his  ground  as  he  continued  humble  and 
watchful ;  Divine  Gra^ce  being  sufficient  where  human 
resolution  had  failed,  "  He  that  hath  this  hope  in  him 
purilieth  himself  even  as  he  is  pure." 

The  remedy  for  intemperance  is  the  Grace  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,  who  gives  the  heart  a 
sense  of  the  need  of  being  redeemed  from  sin.  When 
this  sense  of  need  is  felt  and  co-operated  with,  it  trans- 
forms us  by  the  renewing  of  our  mind,  and  is  increas- 
ingly manifest  in  us  to  destroy  all  the  works  of  the  devil. 
Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia. 


No.  159. 


KINDNESS  AND  GENTLENESS. 


Kindness  is  said  to  be  an  invisible  force,  of  unmeas- 
ured power.  Gentleness  is  enumerated  by  tbe  Apostle 
among  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  and  yet  there  are  some 
apparently  religious  men  to  be  met  with,  in  whose  char- 
acters it  does  not  hold  a  conspicuous  place.  How  it 
enhances  our  esteem  for  the  Christian  who  possesses  a 
large  share  of  it.  How  it  enlarges  his  sphere  of  useful- 
ness and  adds  a  grace  to  his  profession  of  religion.  The 
rough,  honest-hearted  man  may  do  good  in  the  world, 
through  the  self-denial  he  manifests,  and  the  true  and 
holy  faith  which  is  in  him :  but  of  far  greater  efficacy 
would  his  life-labor  in  the  service  of  his  Divine  Master 
be,  if  in  his  daily  walk  he  abundantly  exemplified  the 
gentleness  of  Christ,  and  set  forth  an  example  of  the 
true  love,  heavenly  meekness,  and  courtesy  of  a  disciple. 

Almost  every  heart  has  within  it  a  store  of  kindly 
affections,  and  if  there  was  only  a  more  general  effort 
to  manifest  the  warmth  of  our  love  and  the  gentleness 
of  true  Christian  courtesy,  a  change  for  the  better  would 
appear  in  most  families,  a  great  and  radical  improve- 
ment in  many. 


•1 


KINDNESS     AND  GENTLENESS. 


Mercies  in  rich  abundance,  are  showered  down  upon 
us  from  the  Giver  of  all  good  gifts,  and  if  we  are  grate- 
ful, let  us  manifest  it  by  the  kindness  and  love  we  exercise 
towards  his  children  around  us.  Let  us, in  our  own  circle, 
do  our  duty  towards  spreading  an  atmosphere  of  love 
and  Christian  gentleness.  Let  us  not  permit  kind  acts 
to  be  done  to  us,  even  if  they  are  done  roughly,  without 
showing  that  we  feel  them.  Such  acknowledgments 
may  have  the  happy  effect  of  producing  similar  conduct 
from  others,  and  tend  to  spread  a  bright  and  holy  in- 
fluence wdiich  may  reach  eventually  every  member  of 
the  home  circle.  Do  not  receive  the  kindness  of  others 
in  silent  coldness.  The  expression  of  love  tends  to 
awaken  love. 

Sir  William  Napier,  a  man  of  fine  talents,  and  an  author 
of  great  descriptive  power,  though  of  hasty  temper, 
was  very  good-natured,  and  noted  for  his  kindness  to 
children.  One  instance  narrated  in  his  biography, 
illustrates  this  as  well  as  his  scrupulous  honesty  in  ful- 
filling his  promises,  even  wThen  made  to  a  little  child. 
The  account  informs  us,  that  as  he  was  one  day  taking 
a  long  walk  in  the  country,  near  Freshford,  he  met  a 
little  girl,  about  five  years  old,  sobbing  over  a  broken 
bowl.  She  had  let  it  fall  while  returning  home  from  a 
field,  to  Avhich  she  had  taken  her  father's  dinner  in  it, 
and  she  said  she  would  be  beaten  for  breaking  it ;  then 
with  a  sudden  gleam  of  hope,  she  innocently  looked  up 
into  his  face  and  said,  "  But  yee  can  mend  it,  can't  ee  ?" 
William  explained  to  her  that  he  could  not  mend  the 
bowl,  but  he  could  mend  her  trouble  by  giving  her  a 
sixpence  to  buy  another.  On  opening  his  purse,  he 
found,  to  her  and  his  own  disappointment,  that  there 


KINDNESS    AND  GENTLENESS. 


s 


was  no  silver  in  it;  and,  to  fulfill  his  promise  to  his  little 
friend,  he  told  her  to  come  to  the  same  spot  at  the  same 
hour  the  next  day,  and  he  would  he  there  and  have  the 
sixpence  with  him.  To  save  her  from  the  punishment 
he  bade  her  tell  her  mother  that  she  had  seen  a  gentle- 
man who  would  bring  her  money  to  pay  for  the  bowl 
the  next  day.  The  child,  entirely  trusting  him,  went 
on  her  way  comforted.  On  his  return  home,  he  found 
an  invitation  awaiting  him  to  dine  in  Bath  the  follow- 
ing evening,  where  he  would  meet  with  one  whom  he 
specially  wished  to  see.  He  hesitated  for  some  time, 
trying  to  calculate  the  possibility  of  meeting  his  little 
friend  of  the  broken  bowl,  and  of  being  in  time  for  the 
dinner-party  in  Bath.  Finding  this  could  not  be  done 
he  wrote,  declining  to  accept  the  invitation  to  the  dinner 
on  the  plea  of  a  pre-engagement,  saying  to  his  children 
respecting  the  child,  "  I  cannot  disappoint  her ;  she 
trusted  me  so  implicitly." 

It  is  an  excellent  thing  to  teach  children  to  be  kind 
to  each  other,  as  well  as  to  their  elders.  On  an  occa- 
sion in  which  a  number  of  children  were  gathered 
together,  there  was  among  them  a  bashful,  timid  little 
girl.  She  was  rendered  awkward  by  her  bashfulness, 
and  her  embarrassment  was  not  diminished  to  hear  her- 
self called  silly  by  some  who  had  never  suffered  from 
timidity,  or  had  forgotten  how  they  had  felt  when  suf- 
fering from  bashfulness.  In  the  company  was  a  kind- 
hearted,  polite  boy.  He  felt  for  her  in  her  distress, 
and,  without  appearing  to  notice  her  fright,  he  took  a 
book  and  showed  her  the  pictures,  talked  to  her  pleasantly 
and  took  care  not  to  ask  questions  which  would  render 
it  necessary  for  her  to  answer.    Her  fear  soon  passed 


4 


KINDNESS    AND  GENTLENESS. 


away,  and  the  intelligence  of  her  mind  was  soon  mani- 
fest in  her  countenance,  showing  that  the  term  silly  did 
not  rightly  belong  to  her. 

When  fruit  was  handed  round,  he  selected  a  fine  apple 
and,  whilst  the  others  were  busy  in  ministering  to  their 
own  appetites,  he  carried  it  to  the  little  girl,  telling  her 
he  had  selected  it  for  her.  A  smile  of  gratitude  spread 
over  her  face,  and  in  a  low  voice  she  found  courage  to 
thank  him  for  his  kindness. 

Politeness  has  been  happily  defined  as  true  kindness, 
kindly  expressed.  This  boy,  although  he  probably  could 
not  have  given  a  good  definition  of  it,  had  an  instinctive 
perception  of  what  it  was. 

Yes,  politeness  is  showing  kindness  for  kindness'  sake. 
Christian  politeness  is  showing  kindness  for  Christ's 
sake ;  doing  kind  acts  from  the  love  borne  our  Saviour, 
and  through  being  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  Him,  whose 
whole  life  on  earth  was  a  life  of  love.  Such  a  value 
does  He  set  upon  "  little  deeds  of  kindness,"  that  the 
giving  of  a  cup  of  cold  water  is  not  overlooked  or  for- 
gotten by  Him. 

Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia. 


No.  160. 


THE 


Divine  Pilot. 


"  Call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble  ;  I  will  deliver  thee,  and 
thou  shalt  glorify  me." 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1887. 


The  Divine  Pilot. 


An  account  has  been  recently  published  in  Leomin- 
ster, England,  of  a  remarkable  deliverance  of  the  crew 
of  the  "  Providence,"  a  vessel  that  sailed  from  Sunder- 
land, and  was  overtaken  in  a  storm  on  her  voyage  home 
from  the  White  Sea.  The  crew  were  at  the  pumps 
when  the  deck  was  swept  by  a  large  wave.  In  reply 
to  the  captain's  question,  "  Are  you  all  there  ?"  he  was 
answered,  u  All  here,  but  the  ship  is  a  mere  wreck." 
The  cabin  being  filled,  all  the  provisions  were  spoiled, 
and  the  water  on  deck  was  gone,  all  they  had  left  being 
a  cask  in  the  forecastle,  and  a  few  biscuits  for  a  crew 
of  seven  or  eight  men.  In  this  great  trouble  the  master 
went  below,  and  fell  on  his  knees  in  his  cabin,  to  ask 
the  Lord  to  show  him  what  he  was  to  do.  On  rising 
from  his  knees,  he  fell  into  a  kind  of  trance,  in  which 
it  was  clearly  shown  him  what  kind  of  a  coast  they 
would  approach,  and  the  creek  into  which  they  would 
find  an  entrance.  He  saw  a  high  bold  shore,  with  a 
sugarloaf  cliff,  and  a  long  low  reef  beyond,  and  three 
men  in  a  boat  coming  towards  the  ship.  He  went  on 
deck  and  ordered  the  foresail  to  be  loosened  and  set, 
which,  after  much  difficulty,  was  done.  The  mate 
asked  him  what  they  were  going  to  do,  he  replied, "  We 


THE    DIVINE  PILOT. 


3 


must  get  the  ship  before  the  wind,  and  make  for  some 
place  where  we  may  obtain  water  and  provisions." 
They  had  made  an  observation  that  day,  and  found  that 
they  were  a  hundred  miles  from  the  coast  of  Norway. 
The  captain,  after  watching  most  of  the  night,  lay  down 
to  rest,  and  after  a  time  was  awakened  by  the  mate, 
saying,  "  Here  is  a  high  bold  shore  ahead,  sir !"  On 
going  on  deck  Captain  H.  knew  it  was  the  shore  he 
had  seen  in  his  cabin  the  day  before,  and  went  aloft  on 
the  cross-trees,  telling  the  mate  to  steer  according  to 
his  orders. 

They  sailed  along  the  coast  all  that  day,  the  snow 
often  falling  heavily ;  sometimes  the  ship  was  so  near 
the  rocks  that  the  mate  was  alarmed.  They  passed 
two  or  three  openings  in  the  shore  and  felt  inclined  to 
put  into  one  or  other  of  them,  but  as  neither  of  them 
was  the  place  the  captain  had  seen,  they  sailed  on ;  but 
by  and  by  he  told  the  mate  that  he  would  soon  see  a 
sugar-loaf  rock  and  then  a  long  low  reef,  and  inside  that 
a  sloop's  mast  at  the  end  of  the  reef,  and  a  boat  would 
come  out  with  three  men  in  it.  All  this  soon  came  in 
view,  greatly  to  the  mate's  astonishment.  "When  they 
got  to  the  end  of  the  reef  the  boat  came  alongside  the 
"  Providence,"  and  the  captain  asked  the  men  if  they 
could  take  him  to  an  anchorage.  One  of  them  came 
on  board  and  asked  the  captain  if  he  had  not  had  a 
pilot,  and  when  he  was  told  he  had  not,  he  put  his 
hands  together  and  exclaimed,  "  Then  how  have  you 
got  in  here  ?  you  must  be  a  good  man,  God  has  been 
your  Pilot."    They  brought  the  ship  to  anchor  by  the 


4 


THE    DIVINE  PILOT. 


fishing  craft,  and  the  men  Boon  supplied  the  strangers 
with  water,  bread  and  fish.  The  fisherman  took  the 
captain  to  his  home,  and  when  he  told  the  wonderful 
facts  to  his  wife,  she  also  exclaimed,  "  You  must  he  a 
good  man,  God  has  been  your  Pilot !"  In  the  morning 
the  pilot  took  Captain  H.  to  the  top  of  a  mountain,  from 
which  he  could  see  several  creeks,  and  asked  him, 
pointing  to  some  of  them,  if  he  came  in  by  any  of  those  ? 
And  when,  hearing  that  he  did  not,  he  showed  him 
the  right  one,  and  was  told  that  was  the  one  he  had 
entered  by,  he  told  him  it  was  the  only  one  by  which 
it  was  possible  to  gain  an  entrance  to  that  coast, 
again  exclaiming,  "  You  must  be  a  good  man,  for 
God  has  been  your  Pilot. "  After  considerable  delay, 
during  which  time  the  "  Providence"  had  been  given 
up  as  lost  at  home,  she  was  put  into  sea  trim,  and  sailed 
for  England,  where  she  arrived  in  safety,  to  the  joy  and 
satisfaction  of  all  connected  with  her  heaven-preserved 
and  npw  restored  crew. 

Captain  H.  could  indeed  say,  "  This  poor  man  cried, 
and  the  Lord  heard  him,  and  saved  him  out  of  all  his 
troubles." 


No.  161. 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


The  apostle  Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,* 
tells  us  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  Love,  Joy,  Peace,  Long- 
Suffering,  Gentleness,  Goodness,  Faith,  Meekness,  Tem- 
perance; and  he  says  of  them,  that  against  such  there 
is  no  law.  Let  us  examine  into  the  character  of  these 
Christian  graces,  and  then  let  us  examine  ourselves, 
and  see  if  we  are  so  hearing  them  in  our  daily  lives  as 
that  we  may  be  known  of  all  men  to  he  truly  and  really 
the  followers  of  Christ. 

"  If  ye  Love  me"  said  our  blessed  Saviour,  "  keep 
my  commandments;"'  and  again,  "If  a  man  love  me, 
he  will  keep  my  words :  and  my  Father  will  love 
him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode 
with  him/'-f  At  another  time  he  declared  that  the 
first  and  great  commandment  is,  that  we  love  the  Lord 
our  God,  with  all  our  heart,  soul  and  mind.  And  the 
second  is  like  it,  to  wit,  that  we  love  our  neighbor  as 
ourselves.;}; 

The  joy  of  the  Christian  is  that  emotion  of  the  heart 
which  is  excited  by  a  sense  of  the  presence  and  love  of 
his  Heavenly  Father. 

The  Christian's  Peace  is  that  which  Christ  gives  to 
His  disciples  :  "  peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  I  give 
unto  you :  not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you."|| 

^Chapter  v.  22-23.  fjohn  xiv.  15,  23. 

JMatthew,  xxii.  36-39.  ||John  xiv.  27. 


2 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


His  long-suffering  is  shown  by  patience  in  bearing 
trials  as  well  as  injuries  and  offences. 

His  gentleness,  by  that  mildness  of  manner,  which  is 
the  reverse  of  roughness,  severity  or  harshness. 

His  goodness,  by  his  promotion  of  the  happiness  and 
welfare  of  others. 

By  the  exercise  of  living  faith,  begotten  in  his  heart 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Christian  realizes  the  "  substance 
of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen."* 
Through  it  he  is  enabled  to  overcome  the  world,  and 
this  kind  of  faith  is  thus  distinguished  from  a  dead 
faith, f  which  is  overcome  by  the  world. 

His  meekness  is  evidenced  by  submissiveness  to  the 
Divine  will;  and  his  temperance  by  restraint  in  the 
indulgence  of  his  natural  appetites  and  passions. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  are  manifested 
in  man  only  as  he  keeps  the  Divine  commandments ; 
loves  his  neighbor  as  himself ;  realizes  the  presence 
and  love  of  our  Heavenly  Father,  and  His  peace  in  his 
heart;  by  his  patience;  his  mildness;  his  kindness;  by 
promoting  the  welfare  of  all;  by  overcoming  the  world; 
by  submission  to  the  Divine  will,  and  by  self-restaint. 
Truly  against  these  there  is  no  law ;  for  he  is  in  Christ 
Jesus  who  brings  forth  these  fruits,  and  Christ  is  in 
him;  and  he  is  under  no  condemnation,  because  he 
walks  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit.  J  A  blessed 
and  happy  state !  attainable  by  all,  and  one  in  which, 
as  a  man  continues  steadfast,  he  will  find  a  preparation 
for  that  never-ending  felicity,  which  is  the  portion  of 
the  righteous  in  the  life  to  come. 

*Heb.  xi.  1.  f  James  ii.  26.  J  Rom.  viii.  1. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia. 


No.  161. 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


The  apostle  Paul,  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,* 
tells  us  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  Love,  Joy,  Peace,  Long- 
Sutfering,  Gentleness,  Goodness,  Faith,  Meekness,  Tem- 
perance; and  he  says  of  them,  that  against  such  there 
is  no  law.  Let  us  examine  into  the  character  of  these 
Christian  graces,  and  then  let  us  examine  ourselves, 
and  see  if  we  are  so  hearing  them  in  our  daily  lives  as 
that  we  may  be  known  of  all  men  to  he  truly  and  really 
the  followers  of  Christ. 

"  If  ye  Love  me"  said  our  blessed  Saviour,  "  keep 
my  commandments:"  and  again,  "If  a  man  love  me, 
he  will  keep  my  words :  and  my  Father  will  love 
him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode 
with  him."|  At  another  time  he  declared  that  the 
first  and  great  commandment  is,  that  we  love  the  Lord 
our  God,  with  all  our  heart,  soul  and  mind.  And  the 
second  is  like  it,  to  wit,  that  we  love  our  neighbor  as 
ourselves.  % 

The  joy  of  the  Christian  is  that  emotion  of  the  heart 
which  is  excited  by  a  sense  of  the  presence  and  love  of 
his  Heavenly  Father. 

The  Christian's  Peace  is  that  which  Christ  gives  to 
His  disciples  :  "  peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  I  give 
unto  you :  not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you."|| 

^Chapter  v.  22-2.°..  t.John  xiv.  15,  23. 

JMatthew,  xxii.  36-39.  ||John  xiv,  27. 


2 


FRUITS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


His  long-suffering  is  shown  by  patience  in  bearing 
trials  as  well  as  injuries  and  offences. 

His  gentleness,  by  that  mildness  of  manner,  which  is 
the  reverse  of  roughness,  severity  or  harshness. 

His  goodness,  by  his  promotion  of  the  happiness  and 
welfare  of  others. 

By  the  exercise  of  living  faith,  begotten  in  his  heart 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  Christian  realizes  the  "  substance 
of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen."* 
Through  it  he  is  enabled  to  overcome  the  world,  and 
this  kind  of  faith  is  thus  distinguished  from  a  dead 
faith, f  which  is  overcome  by  the  world. 

His  meekness  is  evidenced  by  submissiveness  to  the 
Divine  will;  and  his  temperance  by  restraint  in  the 
indulgence  of  his  natural  appetites  and  passions. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  are  manifested 
in  man  only  as  he  keeps  the  Divine  commandments ; 
loves  his  neighbor  as  himself ;  realizes  the  presence 
and  love  of  our  Heavenly  Father,  and  His  peace  in  his 
heart;  by  his  patience;  his  mildness;  his  kindness;  by 
promoting  the  welfare  of  all;  by  overcoming  the  world; 
by  submission  to  the  Divine  will,  and  by  self-restaint, 
Truly  against  these  there  is  no  law  ;  for  he  is  in  Christ 
Jesus  who  brings  forth  these  fruits,  and  Christ  is  in 
him ;  and  he  is  under  no  condemnation,  because  he 
walks  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit. ;£  A  blessed 
and  happy  state !  attainable  by  all,  and  one  in  which, 
as  a  man  continues  steadfast,  he  will  find  a  preparation 
for  that  never-ending  felicity,  which  is  the  portion  of 
the  righteous  in  the  life  to  come. 

*Heb.  xi.  1.  f  James  ii.  26.  J  Rom.  viii.  1. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia. 


No.  162. 

THE 

PRISONER  DELIVERED 

FROM  THE 

BONDAGE  OF  SIN. 


The  subject  of  the  following  narrative  was  born  in 
England,  in  the  year  1845.  Having  been  abandoned 
by  both  of  his  parents,  when  three  months  old,  he  was 
eared  for  by  his  grandparents.  When  about  live  years 
old,  he  was  sent  to  school,  from  which  he  often  abscond- 
ed, and  took  a  cruel  delight  in  hunting  bird's  nests  and 
destroying  the  young  birds.  By  the  time  he  was  lifteen 
years  of  age,  he  gave  way  to  gaming,  fighting,  profanity 
and  drinking — sometimes  to  excess. 

In  the  year  1869  he  married,  but  in  less  than  six 
months,  deserted  his  wife  and  enlisted  as  a  soldier. 
While  in  the  arniy,  he  sometimes  attended  meetings, 
appointed  for  the  special  benefit  of  the  men.  When 
listening  to  the  counsel  imparted  on  these  occasions,  he 
says,  "  I  would  resolve  to  do  better,  but,  alas !  it  was 
only  the  impulse  of  a  moment;  the  mere  fruit  of  senti- 
mentalism,  having  no  root  whatever.    But  like  a  plant 


2 


THE  PRISONER  DELIVERED  FROM 


of  which  our  Saviour  tells  us,  it  sprang  up,  and  because 
it  had  no  depth  of  earth,  it  withered  away." 

At  the  end  of  six  years,  he  returned  to  live  with  his 
wife  and  child  ;  left  off  some  of  his  old,  sinful  habits  and 
obtained  a  situation  as  road  contractor.  He  became  a 
regular  attetider  of  a  place  of  Avorship,  but  did  not  ex- 
perience a  change  of  heart. 

He  met  with  an  old  school-mate,  in  the  year  1880, 
who  had  visited  America.  This  man  gave  such  a 
glowing  account  of  the  country,  that  he  was  persuaded 
to  make  it  his  home.  His  wife  endeavored  to  change 
his  purpose,  but  finally  consented,  on  condition  that  if 
he  remained  in  America,  he  should  send  for  her.  Leaving 
his  native  country  he  proceeded  by  way  of  New  York, 
to  Iowa.  Work  was  obtained  on  a  farm,  but  soon  evil 
associates  were  met  with,  and  he  fell  into  gross  sins. 
He  formed  the  accpiaintanee  of  a  young  woman,  and  in 
about  a  year  after  removing  to  his  new  home,  he  mar- 
ried her.  Through  her  influence,  he  left  off  drinking 
and  other  sinful  practices,  and  attended  a  place  of  wor- 
ship with  her. 

He  relates  that  he  met  with  preservation  from  death 
on  several  occasions,  under  circumstances  rather  re- 
markable. 

Once  while  at  work  in  a  deep  cut,  his  companion, 
who  was  on  a  bank  above  him,  shouted  that  a  large 
slide  was  coming.  He  dropped  his  pick  and  ran,  but  was 
caught  and  buried  up  to  the  shoulders.  His  companion 
released  him  when  it  was  found  that  he  was  only  slightly 
bruised.  Another  time,  while  engaged  as  night  watch- 
man at  a  depot,  he  crawled  under  some  cars  which  were 
standing  on  a  side  track,  not  knowing  they  were  attached 
to  an  engine.  When  near  the  centre  of  the  track,  'he 
found  the  cars  were  moving ;  whereupon  he  made  a  leap, 
and  his  feet  just  cleared  the  track;  a  moment  later  he 
would  have  been  crushed  to  death.  On  a  third  occa- 
sion, returning  from  town  with  a  friend,  the  horse  took 
fright  and  ran  away.    He  escaped  without  injury,  but 


THE  BONDAGE  OF  SIN. 


3 


his  friend  was  hurt  so  badly  that  he  never  spoke  again 
and  died  almost  immediately.  Respecting  these  Provi- 
dential deliverances  he  says :  "  I  never  once  [at  that 
time]  realized  that  it  was  God,  in  his  infinite  mercy 
that  was  preserving  my  life." 

The  father  of  the  young  woman  concluded  to  give  up 
farming,  and  asked  them  to  take  his  farm.  A  contract 
was  drawn  up  and  signed,  fixing  the  rent  and  providing 
fur  a  transfer  of  the  stock  and  farm  implements.  In  a 
few  days  the  lather  changed  his  mind  and  refused  to 
abide  by  the  agreement.  As  the  young  man  had  given 
up  a  good  situation  and  removed  to  the  farm,  he  asked 
for  compensation,  which  was  refused.  He  thereupon 
entered  a  suit,  which  was  decided  in  his  favor  ;  but  the 
event  caused  a  deep  feeling  of  resentment  on  the  part 
of  the  young  woman's  father.  He  began  to  alienate  his 
daughter's  feelings  from  the  man  she  had  married,  and 
finally  persuaded  her  to  leave  him  and  sue  for  a  divorce. 
She  took  from  the  house  a  portion  of  the  furniture  and 
attached  what  was  left.  She  also  collected  a  debt  of 
one  hundred  dollars  and  refused  to  pay  it  over  to  him. 

He  tried  several  times  to  persuade  her  to  return  and 
live  with  him,  but  without  success.  After  they  had 
been  separated  three  months,  he  made  l,ier  a  visit,  and 
gave  her  a  dollar,  at  her  request,  being  the  only  money 
he  had  at  the  time.  He  desired  her  either  to  return 
home,  or  else  that  she  should  ask  her  lawyer  to  return 
the  hundred  dollars  that  she  had  collected.  She  pro- 
mised to  see  the  lawyer  and  to  send  word  what  he  would 
have  to  say  about  it.  AVeeks  passed  away  without  any 
intelligence  from  her ;  but  a  man  who  lived  where  she  was 
staying,  told  him  she  was  only  deceiving  him.  This  so 
enraged  him,  that  he  bought  a  revolver,  sought  for  the 
woman  and  shot  and  wounded  her  so  badly  that  she 
died  fifty-two  hours  later.  The  pitiful  look  she  gave 
him  as  he  passed  by  where  she  had  fallen,  with  her 
request  that  he  would  give  her  time  to  say  her  prayers, 
instantly  changed  bis  feeling  of  revenge,  to  one  of  deep 


4 


THE  PRISONER  DELIVERED  FROM 


remorse;  and  he  resolved  to  give  himself  up  to  the 
officers  of  the  law. 

In  the  prison  to  which  he  was  conveyed,  he  experi- 
enced an  agony  of  mind  that  made  him  afraid  to  sleep, 
lest  he  should  waken  in  the  eternal  world,  there  to  meet 
an  offended  God.  His  sins  like  a  black  cloud,  rose 
awfully  before  him  and  the  terrors  of  the  Lord  visited 
his  guilty  conscience.  In  deep  distress  and  in  a  great 
strait,  he  knew  not  what  to  do.  He  thought  if  he  staid 
in  this  miserable  condition,  he  would  certainly  be  lost; 
and  then  he  thought  of  kneeling  in  prayer  to  the  Al- 
mighty. The  enemy  of  all  good  now  suggested  to  him, 
that  his  sins  Avere  unpardonable — that  his  day  of  grace 
was  over — that  in  particular,  his  last  awful  crime  of 
taking  human  life,  cut  him  off  from  all  hope  of  Divine 
forgiveness. 

Again  he  sought  to  pray,  and  again  Satan  suggested, 
there  was  no  room  for  repentance.  Getting  off  his 
knees,  and  ready  to  despair,  in  the  agony  of  his  feelings 
he  exclaimed,  "  Oh  !  is  there  no  hope  left  for  me,  that 
I  may  yet  be  forgiven V9  Suddenly  these  words  came 
sounding  in  his  ears,  "  Get  a  Bible  and  read  it ;  it  will 
point  to  a  Saviour  that  is  able  to  save  the  vilest  sinner." 

The  enemy  renewed  his  assaults ;  but  in  the  course  of 
time  he  fell  asleep,  and  the  next  morning,  the  second  of 
his  confinement,  he  awakened  with  the  encouraging 
words  upon  his  mind,  "Get  a  Bible."  He  procured  a  copy 
from  the  jailer,  and  spent  several  hours  in  reading  it. 
Two  passages  arrested  his  attention,  one  of  them  the 
declaration,  "  For  the  Son  of  Man  is  come  to  seek  and 
to  save  that  which  was  lost."  (Luke  xix.  10.)  The 
other,  the  passage  in  Isaiah  i.  18,  "  Though  your  sins 
be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  whiter  than  snow ;  though 
they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool."  As  he 
read  these  passages  over  and  over,  word  by  word,  a 
living  sense  an  us  given  him  that  he  was  within  the  reach 
of  Divine  mercy  and  pardoning  grace. 

After  some  further  assaults  of  the  Arch-enemy,  he 


THE  BONDAGE  OF  SIX. 


5 


was  enabled  to  pour  out  his  heart  in  supplication,  on 
bended  knees,  while  the  tears  of  penitence  trickled 
down  his  cheeks.  And  He  whom  his  soul  thus  sought 
after,  by  the  drawing  cords  of  heavenly  love,  was  pleased 
to  grant  a  measure  of  the  healing  waters  of  Divine  con- 
solation, to  his  unspeakable  relief. 

The  remembrance  of  his  deserted  wife  and  children, 
and  the  hardships  they  had  probably  encountered  since 
his  absence  from  them,  was  as  he  expresses,  "  as  thorns 
unto  my  flesh."  He  wrote  a  long  letter  to  his  wife, 
informing  her  of  his  terrible  crime  and  of  his  changed 
feelings,  and  entreating  her  to  give  her  heart  to  the 
Lord,  and  to  train  up  their  children  in  His  nurture  and 
admonition. 

When  taken  into  Court,  shortly  afterward,  he  pleaded 
guilty,  and  was  sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  life. 
^Vhile  sitting  in  the  court-room,  he  took  a  Bible  from  his 
pocket  and  commenced  reading  the  103d  Psalm.  Before 
he  had  time  to  finish  it,  a  minister  took  him  aside  and 
told  him  he  had  attended  the  woman  who  had  been 
shot,  and  that  he  believed  she  died  happy,  her  last 
words  being,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit."  This  in- 
telligence was  comforting  to  the  feelings  of  the  poor 
prisoner. 

In  the  penitentiary,  he  was  put  to  work  with  five  other 
prisoners,  in  hoisting  stone  with  a  steam  derrick.  One  of 
the  gang  began  to  use  profane  language,  for  which  he  was 
gently  reproved.  Another  of  them  said  "  Don't  listen 
to  him,  he's  crazy ;  no  murderer  can  enter  the  kingdom 
of  heaven."  He  replied,  "My  friend,  Moses  the  great 
law  giver  of  Israel,  slew  a  man  and  buried  him  in  the 
sand.  But  the  Lord  forgave  him."'  One  of  the  men 
then  told  he  did  not  believe  that  his  sins  were  forgiven 
and  called  him  a  hypocrite.  To  this  he  replied  by  asking 
the  man  to  read  the  thirty-third  chapter  of  Ezeki el.  where 
the  Lord  says :  "  TVlien  I  say  unto  the  wicked,  Thou 
shalt  surely  die,  yet  if  he  turn  from  his  sins  and  do  that 
which  is  lawful  and  right,  none  of  his  sins  that  he  hath 


6 


THE  PRISONER  DELIVERED  FROM 


committed  shall  be  mentioned  unto  him  again ;  he  shall 
surely  live." 

A  prisoner  whom  he  had  entreated  to  leave  off  swear- 
ing, threatened  to  kill  him,  and  lay  in  wait  for  him. 
The  guard,  hearing  this  man  cursing  him,  came  to  his 
rescue,  just  as  the  man's  hand  was  raised  to  strike  his 
victim. 

Of  his  further  experience  he  says :  "  For  about  the 
space  of  a  year,  what  a  trying  time  I  had  !  Many  jeered 
me,  reproached  me,  swore  at  me,  and  did  all  in  their 
power  to  drive  me  from  my  Saviour.  But  deeply  sen- 
sible of  my  utter  helplessness,  I  clung  to  the  precious 
promises  of  Christ,  who  bids  us  call  upon  him  in  the 
day  of  troubles,  and  he  will  deliver  us  out  of  them  all ; 
wherefore  I  obtained  strength  of  God,  and  thus  out  of 
weakness  being  made  strong,  my  enemies  only  served 
to  prove  my  faith,  exercise  my  patience  and  increase  my 
watchfulness." 

"  It  was  my  hard  lot  to  work  among  so  many  unbe- 
lievers. Owing  to  no  guard  being  over  us  for  many 
months,  they  had  it  nearly  all  their  own  way.  Indeed 
there  were  some  that  I  used  to  hear,  when  I  first  came 
in,  give  their  testimony  for  Jesus;  but  after  a  while 
even  these,  worn  out  by  annoyance  and  ashamed  of  the 
cross,  deserted  Christ.  *  *  *  Thus  I  became  like  a 
sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves.  But  I  was  not  alone ;  for 
the  Lord  stood  by  me.  Sometimes  I  reasoned  with 
them  ;  at  other  times,  I  entreated  them  to  give  up  sin 
and  turn  to  the  Lord ;  but  often  did  as  my  master  had 
done,  when  beset  by  his  accusers,  I  answered  them  not 
a  word.  Whereby  I  found  the  gentleness  of  a  lamb 
eould  restrain  the  strength  of  a  lion." 

A  source  of  great  comfort  to  him  at  this  time  was 
the  correspondence  with  his  faithful  wife.  In  one  of 
her  letters  she  says  :  "  Hitherto  hath  the  blessed  Lord 
helped  us,  for  many  good  friends  hath  He  raised  up  to 
help  us,  that  we  have  not  lacked  for  food  or  raiment." 

In  the  year  1886,  he  writes :  "  Being  now  in  the 


THE  BONDAGE  OF  SIX. 


7 


third  year  of  my  imprisonment,  am  glad  to  say  the 
tierce  storms  of  scorn  and  rebuke  have  somewhat  abated. 
Thus  many  of  my  former  enemies  have  become  more 
friendly  to  the  Christian  religion.  One  day,  as  I  hap- 
pened to  be  passing  along  the  yard,  a  fellow-prisoner 
stepped  up  to  me  and  said, '  I  am  sorry  for  what  I  have 
said  disrespectfully  about  religion,  for  I  am  now  con- 
vinced that  yon  are  right  and  1  am  wrong.  Religion  is 
what  I  need,  and  I  have  been  on  my  knees  many  times 
lately,  but  it  seems  of  no  use.  I  wish  you  would  pray 
for  me.'  I  replied, '  I  have  not  ceased  to  pray  for  you  all 
since  I  have  been  here ;  and  now  brother,  let  me  tell 
you  this,  when  you  go  to  prayer,  don't  take  the  world 
in  one  hand  and  religion  in  the  other ;  do  you  feel  you 
are  a  sinner  in  the  sight  of  God?'  '  I  know  I  am,'  said 
he.  '  Then,  my  friend,  Christ  will  forgive  and  pardon 
ail  your  sins.  May  the  Holy  Spirit  lead  you  to  the  foot 
of  the  cross,  and  there  cry  aloud  for  mercy,  "  Lord  save 
me,  or  I  perish."  My  friend,  if  you  do  this  with  all 
your  heart  and  soul,  depend  upon  it,  the  Saviour  will 
seal  your  pardon,  and  give  you  peace  and  happiness.' 
'  God  bless  you  for  that  good  advice,'  said  he,  and  with 
that  we  parted." 

Soon  afterward  this  man  made  an  open  profession  of 
religion,  and  lived  a  consistent  character  during  the 
remainder  of  his  term  of  imprisonment. 

Accompanying  the  manuscript  from  which  the  fore- 
going narrative  is  compiled,  is  an  address  to  the  reader, 
in  which  the  writer  says :  "  Come,  sinner,  take  Jesus 
for  your  portion,  then  will  you  have  a  dear,  loving  and 
faithful  friend,  one  who  you  can  look  to  in  every  con- 
dition of  life,  under  all  trying  circumstances,  and  be 
sure  of  a  present  help  and  strength  in  every  time  of 
need  ;  for  He  has  all  wisdom  and  power,  both  in  heaven 
and  upon  earth.  When  tempted,  He  says,  4  My  grace 
is  sufficient  for  thee,  for  my  strength  is  made  perfect 
in  weakness.'  When  in  trouble,  He  says,  1  Call  upon 
me  in  the  day  of  trouble,  I  will  deliver  thee.'  When 


8     THE  PRISONER  DELIVERED  FROM  THE  BONDAGE  OF  SIX. 

in  affliction,  we  have  the  promise,  He  will  strengthen 
and  uphold  us  with  the  right  hand  of  his  righteousness. 
To  the  sick  one,  languishing  upon  his  hed,  the  promise 
is, '  Thou  wilt  make  all  his  hed  in  his  sickness.'  When 
opposed  or  forsaken, 6  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  child- 
ren, so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  Him.'  Dear 
friend,  Jesus  is  near  to  all  them  that  look  to  Him ;  the 
rich,  the  poor,  the  high,  the  low ;  in  health  and  happi- 
ness, in  trials  or  sorrow.  Now  sinner,  will  you  come 
to  Jesus  ?  remember,  He  and  He  alone  is  thy  only  hope, 
and  whoever  comes  to  Him,  He  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 

"  Wherefore,  let  us  lay  aside  every  weight  and  the 
sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset  us,  and  let  us  run  with 
patience  the  race  that  is  set  before  us,  looking  nnto 
Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith." 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia. 


No.  163. 


ON  DANCING. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

Xo.  304  Arch  Street. 


lsss. 


ON  DANCING. 


Perhaps  there  is  no  passage  in  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
that  the  casual  reader  would  be  more  likely  to  under- 
stand as  sanctioning  dancing,  than  that  in  Ecelesiastes 
iii.  4,  "  A  time  to  mourn,  and  a  time  to  dance." 

That  this  language  does  not  necessarily  imply  that  it 
is  right  to  dance,  is  evident  from  the  first  verse  of  the 
same  chapter,  and  also  a  part  of  the  same  sentence, 
"  To  every  thing  there  is  a  season,  and  a  time  to  every 
purpose  under  heaven."  Otherwise  "  every  purpose 
under  heaven,"  would  be  right. 

When  the  words  were  written,  "A  time  to  mourn 
and  a  time  to  dance,"  mourning  was  practiced  on  the 
occasion  of  a  death,  usually  for  a  period  of  seven  days, 
more  or  less ;  and  dancing,  in  times  of  rejoicing,  or  as  a 
part  of  religious  exercises. 

Instances  of  dancing  in  times  of  rejoicing,  may  be 
found  where  Miriam  and  her  maidens,  "  with  timbrels 
and  with  dances,"  commemorated  the  overthrow  of  the 
Egyptians  in  the  Red  Sea;*  where  the  daughter  of 

*  Exodus  xv.,  20. 


ON  DANCING. 


Jephthah  "  Came  out  to  meet  him  with  timbrels  and  with 
dances,''*  on  account  of  his  victory  over  the  enemies  of 
Israel;  where  "  The  women  came  out  of  all  the  cities 
of  Israel,  singing  and  dancing,"f  because  of  the  vic- 
tories of  Saul  and  David  over  the  Philistines ;  and 
where  the  returning  prodigal  son  was  received  with 
music  and  dancing, J  and  other  evidences  of  rejoicing. 

That  dancing  in  that  day  was  an  act  of  worship,  is 
evident,  where  a  feast  unto  the  Lord  in  Shiloh  is  men- 
tioned, to  which  the  daughters  of  Shiloh  went  forth  in 
dances.||  Again  we  are  told  of  Moses,  "  As  soon  as  he 
came  nigh  unto  the  camp,  he  saw  the  calf  and  the 
dancing. "§  From  which  it  appears  that  dancing  was 
a  part  also  of  idol  worship.  "Let  them  praise  his 
name,"  said  David,  "  in  the  dance."  T 

"  A  time  to  mourn  and  a  time  to  dance."  Since  the 
Jewish  Church  knew  nothing  of  dancing  except  as  a 
religious  ceremony,  or  as  an  expression  of  gratitude 
and  praise,  the  text  is  a  declaration  that  the  providence 
of  God  sometimes  demands  mourning,  and  sometimes 
gladness  and  gratitude. 

It  may  be  observed  that  dancing  was  usually  per- 
formed in  the  day  time,  in  the  open  air,  in  highways, 
fields,  or  groves.  With  rare  exceptions  by  maidens 
only,  and  never  by  both  sexes  united  in  the  exercise. 
And  that  there  is  no  instance  recorded  of  social  danc- 
ing for  amusement,  except  that  of  the  "vain  fellows,"** 

*  Judges  xi.,  34.  f  1  Samuel  xviii.,  6.  +  Luke  xv.,  25. 

||  Judges  xxi.,  19,  21.    §  Exodus  xxxii.,  19.         If  Psalm  cxlix.,  3. 
**  2  Samuel  vi.,  20. 


4 


ON  DANCING. 


in  the  time  of  David,  devoid  of  shame ;  of  the  irrelig- 
ious families  described  by  Job,*  which  produced  in- 
creased impiety,  and  ended  in  destruction ;  and  of 
Herodias,  which  terminated  in  the  rash  vow  of  Herod 
and  the  murder  of  John  the  Baptist. t 

Let  us  consider  some  objections  to  social  dancing,  as 
now  indulged  in.  The  time  needful  to  learn  and  prac- 
tice this  amusement  is  considerable.  Companies  where 
it  takes  place,  and  for  which  it  is  a  chief  attraction,  are 
composed  of  persons  who  commonly  spend  the  intervals 
between  the  dances,  in  frivolous  and  unprofitable  con- 
versation. To  those  in  whom  the  work  of  religion  has 
made  some  progress,  this  is  a  most  hurtful  atmosphere. 
It  would  almost  necessarily  dissipate  any  religious 
covering  under  which  edifying  conversation  might  pro- 
fitably be  engaged  in.  What  more  uncongenial  topic, 
on  such  occasions,  could  be  imagined,  than  that  of  the 
things  which  appertain  to  eternal  life  ?  The  exercise 
of  dancing  heats  the  body,  and  exposes  the  individual 
to  much  risk  of  sickness,  on  suddenly  entering  a  cold 
atmosphere,  particularly  at  night.  Many  lives  have 
been  lost  in  this  way.  It  is  well  known  that  dancing 
is  one  of  the  principal  attractions  of  operas,  theatres 
and  other  places  of  amusement.  Persons  wTho  are  pro- 
ficient in  this  art,  here  exhibit  themselves,  frequently 
in  a  garb  that  is  so  light  and  transparent  as  to  trench 
upon  the  feelings  of  modesty.  Many  young  people  by 
familiarizing  themselves  with  such  sights,  have  had  the 
way  paved  for  them  to  enter  into  positive  immorality. 
*  Job  xxi.,  7, 11-15.  f  Matt,  xiv.,  6-10 


UN  DANCING. 


5 


And  temptation  lies  in  the  same  direction  with  those 
who  themselves  participate  in  the  dance. 

To  the  argument  that  dancing  is  useful  in  promoting 
gracefulness  of  motion  and  healthy  muscular  develop- 
ment, it  may  be  answered  that  both  these  objects  are 
fully  accomplished  by  systematic  calisthenic  exercises, 
such  as  are  now  introduced  into  our  best  schools 
generally. 

To  the  plea  that  social  dancing  is  no  more  objection- 
able than  many  other  practices  which  are  tolerated, 
the  ready  reply  is  that  if  this  were  so,  what  is  wrong, 
or  harmful  in  itself,  can  by  no  means  be  justified  or 
defended  by  the  existence  of  other  wrong. 

It  is,  however,  the  deeply  settled  conviction  of  large 
numbers  of  spiritually  minded  Christians,  and  those  too 
of  ripest  experience  and  most  favorable  opportunity  for 
judging,  including  many  who  were  once  its  votaries, 
that  the  practice  we  are  considering  is  pre-eminent!}/  un- 
favorable to  the  growth  of  grace  and  personal  piety  of 
those  who  indulge  it. 

The  testimony  of  the  pious  Adam  Clarke,  widely 
known  as  the  author  of  the  "  Commentaries  on  the 
Bible,''  on  this  subject  is  comprehensive. 

"  When  I  was  about  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age," 
says  he,  "  I  learned  to  dance.  I  long  resisted  all  solicita- 
tions to  this  employment,  but  at  last  I  suffered  myself 
to  be  overcome,  and  learned  beyond  most  of  my  fellows. 
I  grew  passionately  fond  of  it,  would  scarcely  walk  but 
in  measured  time,  and  was  constantly  tripping,  moving, 
and  shuffling  in  all  times  and  places.    I  began  now  to 


6 


ON  DANCING. 


value  myself,  which  as  far  as  I  can  recollect  I  had  never 
thought  of  before ;  I  grew  impatient  of  control,  was  fond 
of  company,  wished  to  mingle  more  than  I  had  ever  done 
with  young  people  :  I  got  also  a  passion  for  better  cloth- 
ing than  that  which  fell  to  my  lot  in  life,  was  discontented 
when  I  found  a  neighbor's  son  dressed  better  than  my- 
self. I  lost  the  spirit  of  subordination,  did  not  love 
work,  imbibed  a  spirit  of  idleness,  and  in  short,  drank 
in  all  the  brain-sickening  effluvia  of  pleasure.  Dancing 
and  company  took  the  place  of  reading  and  study,  and 
the  authority  of  my  parents  was  feared,  indeed,  but  not 
respected,  and  few  serious  impressions  could  prevail  in 
a  mind  imbued  now  with  frivolity,  and  the  love  of 
pleasure. 

"  Yet  I  entered  into  no  disreputable  assembly,  and  in 
no  one  case  ever  kept  any  improper  company.  I  formed 
no  illegal  connection,  nor  associated  with  any  whose 
characters  were  either  tarnished  or  suspicious.  Never- 
theless, dancing  was  to  me  a  perverting  influence,  an 
unmixed  moral  evil ;  for  although  by  the  mercy  of  God, 
it  led  me  not  to  depravity  of  manners,  it  greatly  weaken- 
ed the  moral  principle,  drowned  the  voice  of  a  well- 
instructed  conscience,  and  was  the  first  cause  of  impel- 
ling me  to  seek  my  happiness  in  this  life.  Everything 
yielded  to  the  disposition  it  had  produced,  and  every- 
thing was  absorbed  by  it. 

"  I  have  it  justly  in  abhorrence  for  the  moral  injury 
it  did  me ;  and  I  can  testify  (as  far  as  my  own  observa- 
tions have  extended,  and  they  have  had  a  pretty  wide 
range,)  I  have  known  it  to  produce  the  same  evil  in 


ON  DANCING. 


others  that  it  produced  in  me.  I  consider  it,  therefore, 
as  a  branch  of  that  worldly  education  which  leads  from 
heaven  to  earth,  from  things  spiritual  to  things  sensual, 
and  from  God  to  Satan.  Let  them  plead  for  it  who  will, 
I  know  it  to  he  evil,  and  that  only.  They  who  bring 
up  their  children  in  this  way,  or  send  them  to  those 
schools  where  dancing  is  taught,  are  consecrating  them 
to  the  service  of  Moloch,  and  cultivating  the  passions 
so  as  to  cause  them  to  bring  forth  the  weeds  of  a  fallen 
nature,  with  an  additional  rankness,  deep-rooted  in- 
veteracy and  inexhaustible  fertility." 

Caroline  E.  Smelt,  a  young  woman  who  died  in  her 
seventeenth  year,  had  been  taught  to  dance  at  an  early 
age.  She  never  enjoyed  it,  and  only  submitted  to  the 
wishes  of  her  parents  to  learn  and  practice  it.  On  her 
death-bed,  she  several  times  strongly  condemned  the 
attendance  of  balls  and  theatres.  On  one  occasion  she 
remarked :  "  I  can  say,  from  my  own  experience,  that 
I  never  derived  solid  improvement  or  real  pleasure  from 
either.  From  neither  of  them  have  I  ever  derived 
anything  which  could  afford  my  mind  the  least  satisfac- 
tion in  hours- devoted  to  self-examination,  nor  anvthins: 
to  strengthen  the  soul  against  the  terrors  of  death  and 
judgment.  I  consider  them  worse  than  vanity ;  they  are 
exceedingly  sinful." 

Many  of  those  who  delight  in  the  pleasures  of  the 
dance,  will  naturally  ask,  what  they  may  substitute  in 
its  place,  if  they  abandon  it?  How  are  young  persons 
to  spend  their  time,  when  met  together  for  social  en- 
joyment ?    ^Ve  answer  :  by  cultivating  their  minds,  by 


8 


ON  DANCING. 


reading  and  study,  and  by  intercourse  with  other  peo- 
ple who  have  their  minds  stored  with  useful  knowledge, 
the  young  will  be  afforded  more  real  pleasure  than  can 
be  found  in  whirling  around  the  room  with  a  partner, 
or  in  looking  upon  others  thus  engaged.  A  love  for 
the  study  of  natural  objects  is  often  easily  awakened 
in  the  minds  of  children,  and  in  its  pursuit  they  find 
an  almost  inexbaustible  fund  of  enjoyment  and  real 
satisfaction.  In  many  otber  ways  the  same  result  may 
be  reached. 

But  when  any  are  convinced  that  their  Heavenly 
Father  requires  the  sacrifice  of  that  in  which  they  have 
taken  delight,  how  serious  it  is  to  refuse  to  obey !  Let 
such  be  encouraged  by  the  uniform  testimony  of  the 
faithful  in  all  ages,  that  no  good  thing  will  be  withheld 
from  those  who  show  their  love  to  Him  by  obedience 
to  his  requirements.  The  peace  of  mind  which  He 
gives  to  such,  far  surpasses  any  earthly  gratification 
they  can  possibly  acquire,  and  no  man  is  able  to  deprive 
them  of  it. 


No.  164. 


ADVICE  TO  SCHOOL  CHILDREN. 


"  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom." 

The  following  advice  was  given  in  the  year  1796,  to 
the  children  under  their  care,  by  the  overseers  of  the 
Charter  Schools  of  Philadelphia,  which  were  founded 
by  "William  Penn.  It  is  equally  applicable  at  the  pre- 
sent time,  because  the  truth  never  changes. 

k-  We  would  principally  remind  you,  that  1  the  fear 
of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom.'  With  this 
constantly  before  your  eyes,  much  advice  will  be  un- 
necessary, and  without  it,  none  will  be  effectual.  If 
you  live  in  this  fear,  it  will  regulate  every  thought  and 
every  action.  At  your  rising  in  the  morning  and  lying 
down  at  night,  it  will  impress  your  minds  with  gratitude 
to  your  Creator  for  his  continual  favors.  It  will  lead 
you  to  a  sober,  decent  behavior  at  meals.  It  will 
teach  you  to  observe  a  punctual  attendance  at  religious 
meetings,  and  a  quiet,  humble  deportment  whilst  there ; 
as  well  as  decency  of  behavior  in  going  to  and  return- 
ing from  such  places.  It  will  instruct  you  to  be  duti- 
ful to  your  parents,  and  respectful  to  your  guardians 
and  teachers.    It  will  conduce  to  your  living  in  peace 


2 


ADVICE  TO  SCHOOL  CHILDREN. 


with  all,  and  in  harmony  with  your  brothers,  sisters  and 
school-mates ;  preserving  you  from  strife,  ill-will,  spread- 
ing evil  reports,  and  every  other  kind  of  improper  con- 
duct. It  will  also  most  effectually  prevent  your  ever 
telling  a  lie  or  using  your  Maker's  name  irreverently. 
In  fine,  it  will  preserve  you  from  evil  in  "this  world,  and 
prepare  you  for  a  state  of  never-ending  felicity,  in  that 
which  is  to  come." 

Let  children  always  strive  to  he  kind,  generous  and 
magnanimous. 

Horace  Mann  says :  "  If  there  is  a  boy  in  school  who 
has  a  club-foot,  don't  let  him  know  that  you  ever  saw 
it.  If  there  is  a  boy  with  ragged  clothes,  don't  talk 
about  rags  in  his  hearing.  If  there  is  a  lame  boy,  assign 
him  some  part  in  the  play  which  does  not  require  much 
running.  If  there  is  a  dull  one,  help  him  to  get  his 
lessons." 

The  advice  of  King  David,  given  shortly  before  his 
death  to  his  son  Solomon,  is  so  comprehensive  and  so 
full  of  wisdom,  that  all  school-children  may  safely  follow 
it  themselves:  "And  thou,  Solomon  my  son,  know 
thou  the  God  of  thy  father,  and  serve  him  with  a  per- 
fect heart  and  with  a  willing  mind :  for  the  Lord 
searcheth  all  hearts  and  understandeth  all  the  imagi- 
nations of  the  thoughts :  if  thou  seek  him,  he  wTill  be 
found  of  thee ;  but  if  thou  forsake  him,  he  will  cast  thee 
off:  forever." 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a. 


No.  105. 

DIVINE  GUIDANCE 

XEEDFUIi 

FOR   ENTERING  INTO 


AND 


BY  WILLIAM  EVANS. 


"William  Evans,  a  minister  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
died  in  Philadelphia,  in  the  year  1867,  being  in  his 
eightieth  year.  He  relates  in  his  journal*  that  he  had 
been  apprenticed  to  the  drug  business,  the  early  part  of 
the  present  century,  and  engaged  in  it  on  his  own  ac- 
count in  the  year  1808. 

Five  years  later  he  writes:  "In  consequence  of  the 
war  with  England,  business  was  much  depressed,  and 
having  the  expenses  of  a  family  to  meet,  which  it  seemed 
improbable,  if  the  difficulties  continued,  the  little  I  had 
to  do,  would  be  sufficient  for,  I  became  so  dissatisfied 
that  I  resolved  to  make  some  change.  A  relative,  who 
was  a  dealer  in  dry-goods,  wanting  a  partner,  I  con- 
cluded to  join  him  as  soon  as  the  war  was  brought  to 
a  close,  and  made  arrangements  to  borrow  a  sum  of 

*Any  reader  of  this  Tract  may  procure  a  full  biography  of  William 
Evans,  at  304  Arch  Street.  Philadelphia. 


c2 


DIVINE  GUIDANCE  IN 


money,  which,  with  that  employed  by  him,  was  deemed 
a  sufficient  capital.  The  prospect  of  the  connection, 
and  engaging  in  a  business  that  looked  likely  to  be 
profitable,  was  animating  and  pleasant;  and  from  the 
feelings  of  my  mind,  I  thought  I  had  given  the  subject 
ample  consideration.  We  entered  upon  some  of  the 
preparatory  steps,  which  brought  us  frequently  together, 
and  to  converse  upon  the  business  and  the  manner  of 
conducting  it.  As  I  was  led  into  a  knowledge  of  the 
course  pursued  in  that  line,  scruples  occasionally  arose 
in  my  mind,  which  I  attributed  to  fear  produced  by  the 
novelty  of  my  situation.  Selling  articles  which  I  should 
not  be  easy  to  wear,  or  recommend  others  to  wear,  pre- 
sented some  apprehension  of  difficulty,  but  I  concluded 
these  might  be  dispensed  with,  and  the  business  still 
be  large  enough ;  or  perhaps  when  I  became  fully  en- 
gaged, these  feelings  would  wear  off.  Then  arose  the 
thought  of  entering  into  a  business  which  I  did  not  un- 
derstand, and  the  condition  in  which  I  should  find  myself, 
were  my  partner  removed  by  death.  This  circumstance 
I  hoped  would  not  occur,  and  I  endeavored  to  suppress 
my  apprehensions  with  the  belief  that  experience  would 
soon  render  me  familiar  with  my  new  employment.  In 
his  desire  to  open  the  way  for  our  union  and  future  op- 
erations, my  relative  told  me  that,  besides  the  amount 
of  our  capital,  which  was  borrowed,  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  purchase,  on  credit,  large  quantities  of  certain 
articles,  the  payment  of  which  would  be  provided  for 
in  the  returns  of  our  sales.  This  was  a  further  insight 
of  the  responsibilities  we  were  about  to  take  upon  us, 
and  which  raised  fresh  doubts  and  fears. 

"My  present  business  being  small,  and  one  that  I  un- 
derstood, was  managed  with  ease.  It  required  little  capi- 
tal, and  involved  me  in  no  engagements  that  I  did  not 
hold  the  means  to  meet;  so  that  I  was  free  from  anxiety 


CONDUCTING  BUSINESS. 


3 


on  that  account,  and  at  liberty  to  attend,  unincumbered, 
to  any  of  the  appointments  of  the  Society,  or  any  impres- 
sion of  duty  to  go  to  a  meeting,  that  I  might  have.  When 
I  contrasted  my  present  situation,  for  I  had  not  yet 
given  up  the  drug  business,  with  the  project  before  me, 
and  recollected  that  I  had  never  been  accustomed  to 
the  anxiety  which  often  attends  large  commercial  con- 
cerns, I  began  to  feel  stronger  doubts  of  the  safety  of 
making  so  great  change.  These  doubts  increased;  and 
one  day,  sitting  in  our  religious  meeting,  it  plainly  ap- 
peared to  me  that,  though  the  mind  may  be  able  to 
compass  much,  yet  beyond  its  capacity  it  cannot  go.  If 
all  its  energies  are  enlisted  in  the  concerns  of  the  world, 
and  their  pressure  is  as  great  as  it  is  capable  of  bearing, 
the  all-important  Avork  of  religion  must  be  neglected. 
This  appeared  to  me  must  inevitably  be  my  case.  My 
time  and  talents  would  be  wholly  engrossed,  and  I  must 
abandon  all  prospect  of  usefulness  in  religious  society 
for  the  servitude  of  a  man  of  the  world.  It  seemed  if 
I  pursued  the  prospect  of  adopting  the  proposed  change 
of  business,  that  I  should  be  lost  to  religious  society  and 
to  the  work  of  religion  in  my  own  heart. 

"  These  views  brought  me  to  a  full  stop.  I  was  afraid 
to  risk  my  everlasting  salvation  for  the  sake  of  worldly 
emolument;  and,  notwithstanding  the  mortification,  I 
determined  that  it  was  best  to  inform  my  proposed  part- 
ner, in  a  proper  manner,  that  I  could  not  proceed,  and 
also  of  the  cause ;  which  was  a  trial  to  him  as  well  as  my- 
self, though  no  steps  had  been  taken  that  would  involve 
him  in  difficulty.  After  having  come  to  this  conclusion, 
and  my  concern  for  his  disappointment  had  subsided,  I 
felt  relieved  of  a  great  burthen,  and  then  resolved  that, 
as  long  as  I  could  make  a  living  by  the  business  I  was 
brought  up  to,  I  would  not  abandon  it  for  any  other,  but 
labor  after  contentment  in  such  things  as  my  heavenly 


4  DIVINE  GUIDANCE  IN  CONDUCTING  BUSINESS. 

Father  granted  to  me.  I  looked  forward  with  renewed 
peace  and  satisfaction  at  the  path  and  the  business  before 
me,  though  small,  remembering  that  the  earth  is  the 
Lord's,  and  the  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills,  and  he  in  his 
inscrutable  wisdom  and  kindness,  will  dispense  what  he 
knows  we  need. 

"My  relative  died  in  less  than  three  years,  and  the 
very  great  losses  produced  by  a  falling  market,  proved 
in  the  end  that  I  had  escaped  from  a  load  of  anxiety 
and  almost  inextricable  embarassment.  Indeed,  being 
left  alone  in  a  business  I  was  in  no  wise  fitted  for,  it  is 
probable  it  would  have  proved  my  ruin.  It  is  good  to 
trust  in  the  Lord,  and  to  mind  the  secret  intimations  of 
his  blessed  Spirit ;  for  I  believe  it  was  nothing  less  than 
his  merciful,  superintending  care  that  snatched  me  from 
the  thraldom  I  was  preparing  for  myself." 

The  subsequent  experience  of  William  Evans  illus- 
trates the  declaration  that  "  Godliness  is  profitable  for 
all  things :  having  the  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is, 
and  of  that  which  is  to  come."  He  was  enabled  to 
maintain  his  family  comfortably  to  the  end  of  his  length- 
ened life,  while  diligently  laboring  in  the  cause  of  his 
Divine  Master. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a. 


No.  166. 

BRIEF  ACCOUNT 

OF 

SARAH  S.  COLE, 

OF  SALEM,  XEW  JERSEY. 


Sarah  S.  Cole,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Hannah  S.  Cole, 
and  grand-daughter  of  Ananias  Sayres — who  was  the  first 
sheriff  of  Cumberland  County,  New  Jersey — was  born  in  Salem 
County,  in  the  same  State,  in  the  year  1795.  She  was  an 
unusually  lovely  girl,  of  pleasing  manners,  and  was  much 
admired,  both  for  her  personal  charms  and  for  the  brightness 
of  her  intellect. 

Previously  to  her  last  sickness,  she  was  greatly  exercised 
concerning  the  everlasting  peace  of  her  immortal  soul ;  and 
knowing  she  had'  broken  covenant  so  often  with  her  God,  she 
said  she  was  afraid  to  try  to  renew  it  again ;  and  often  ex- 
pressed to  her  mother  that  she  must  be  more  wicked  than 
others.  It  is  believed  that  the  admiration  of  her  suitors  was 
ensnaring  to  her  soul.  It  became  her  usual  practice  during 
the  day  to  retire  into  silence  by  herself,  and  she  was  often 
drawn  into  humble  supplication  to  the  Father  of  all  our 
mercies  for  the  renewal  of  his  precious  covenant  with  her.  In 
his  own  time  He  was  pleased  to  hold  forth  the  sceptre  of  his 
love  in  a  wonderful  manner,  and  removed  the  cloud  which 
had  so  long  overshadowed  her  mind. 

One  day  when  she  had  been  alone  for  some  time  her  mother 
feeling  anxious,  sought  her,  and  on  entering  the  room,  Sarah 
joyfully  exclaimed:  "Oh!  that  I  could  tell  thee  what  I  have 
seen  and  felt ;  but  it  is  past  expression.  The  goodness  and 
mercy  of  the  Lord  are  indeed  wonderful.    He  has  followed  me 


2 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  SARAH  S.  COLE. 


from  my  youth  until  now  ;  but  oh !  how  hard  it  is  to  get  human 
nature  under  our  feet,  and  to  know  Christ  Jesus  to  be  All  in 
all !  Oh  !  dear  mother,  the  covenant  is  now  renewed — never 
I  hope  to  be  broken.  I  believe  I  have  seen  my  sins  swept 
away  like  froth  on  the  foaming  billows ;  and  I  thought  I  saw 
they  should  not  impede  my  everlasting  peaee.  Oh  mother ! 
join  me  in  praising  the  Lord  Jesus!  Come  life  or  death,  I 
feel  my  will  given  up  to  the  Lord.  2s  owT  I  do  experience  what 
my  dear  brother  Charles  wished  for  me  when  he  prayed ;  '  I 
might  be  more  weaned  from  the  world,  and  be  favored  to  feel 
what  he  felt/"  "Oh!  what  a  favor,"  she  continued,  "if  we 
are  all  called  home  to  that  happy  place,  where  no  poisonous 
thing  shall  ever  enter  to  disturb  our  jjeace !  O,  peace  !  how 
has  my  heart  sought  thee  and  through  the  Lord's  great  good- 
ness, I  have  found  thee !  Let  us,  mother,  praise  and  honor 
Him,  the  Great  Author  and  Preserver  of  my  being !  wTho,  in 
his  loving  kindness  has  condescended  to  visit  me,  a  poor  worm 
of  the  dust,  and  not  only  has  visited  but  taken  me  into  his 
favor." 

Her  mother  saying  one  day :  "  My  dear  child,  I  am  sorry  to 
leave  thee  so  much  alone."  She  replied,  "  Oh  mother,  do  not 
say  alone,  I  have  had  the  best  of  company !  If  thou  only 
knew  the  sweet  union  and  communion  that  I  have  with  the 
dear  Emanuel  at  those  seasons  when  thou  hast  to  leave  me ! 
I  feel  my  spirit  drawn  home  to  its  God — its  Saviour.  I  often 
think  is  it  possible  such  a  poor  weak  worm  of  the  dust  can  be 
so  highly  favored  ?  I  believe  it  is  partly  on  thy  account  dear 
mother,  that  thou  mayst  be  made  willing  to  give  me  up." 

She  was  often  engaged  in  supplication,  and  on  one  occasion 
in  the  following  manner :  "  Oh  Lord !  wilt  Thou  be  pleased  in 
Thy  condescending  mercy,  to  strengthen  me  to  bear  with 
patience  everything  which  Thou  mayst  see  best  to  inflict, 
until  I  become  prepared  and  fitted  for  Thy  kingdom!  I  think 
my  sufferings  light  so  that  I  can  but  win  Thee,  and  Thou  wilt  be 
pleased  to  take  me  for  Thy  own.  Oh  most  gracious  Father! 
look  down  in  mercy  upon  my  aged  parents  and  be  pleased 
to  support  them  under  every  trying  dispensation — enable  them 
to  go  in  and  out  before  my  dear  little  brothers  so  as  to  lead 
them  in  the  way  of  all  truth.  Oh  Father !  touch  their  tender 
minds  as  with  a  live  coal  from  off  the  altar — meet  them  in  a 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  SARAH  S.  COLE. 


8 


narrow  place  where  they  cannot  turn  to  the  right  hand  nor  to 
the  left,  but  cause  them  fully  to  surrender  unto  Thy  blessed 
will ;  that  they  may  grow  in  Thy  love  and  fear,  and  be  a  com- 
fort to  their  parents.  Oh  Lord !  be  pleased  in  Thy  adorable 
goodness  to  strengthen  my  mother  to  give  me  up  with  a  willing 
mind.  Make  her  to  see  it  is  best  for  us  both  "as  thou  hast 
mercifully  permitted  me,  and  I  can  sav  in  truth:  'Thy  ivill  be 
doner"  ' 

Shortly  before  her  decease  she  dictated"  a  letter  to  a  young 
man  to  whom  she  was  engaged  to  be  married,  in  which  she 
says  :  "  I  must  inform  thee  my  time  here  is  almost  ended,  and  I 
feel  nothing  in  my  way  to  impede  my  happiness.  The  Lord 
in  his  infinite  mercy  has  been  pleased  to  visit  my  soul  with  the 
day-spring  from  on  high.  Oh !  that  it  may  be  thy  situation  is 
the  desire  of  thy  friend  who  never  expects  to  see  thee  in  this 
present  world  !  But,  oh  !  that  we  may  meet  in  the  world  above 
where  sickness  and  sorrow  cease,  and  the  weary  soul  shall 
forever  be  at  rest!  O,  the  sweet  peace  I  have  experienced  ;  it 
is  worth  striving  for. 

"  I  have  been  made  renewedly  sensible  of  the  importance  of 
living  a  Christian  life.  This  to  human  nature  seems  to  be  an 
attainment  of  an  high  and  exalted  nature;  but  let  us  not  be 
discouraged  with  the  difficulties  which  attend  the  journey 
through  this  checkered  scene ;  but  let  us  remember  to  our  com- 
fort and  consolation  that  those  who  earnestly  and  diligently 
seek  virtue,  shall  find  her.  But  mark  the  difference — those 
who  do  not  seek  shall  not  find.  Then,  O,  my  dear  friend ! 
hasten,  I  entreat  thee,  to  become  acquainted  with  true  ex- 
perimental religion !  Remember  it  is  to  be  in  this  life  that 
we  must  engage  in  the  contest  if  we  would  obtain  the  victory. 
Endeavor  to  retire,  yea,  frequently  retire  in  subjection  to  know 
thyself  wholly  resigned  and  given  up  to  the  Lord.  Oh !  how 
I  deceived  myself  in  this  respect  ;  I  once  thought  I  knew 
myself,  but  found  by  painful  experience  that  I  could  do  no 
good  thing.  But  the  Lord  in  the  riches  of  his  mercy  has  been 
pleased  to  hold  forth  the  sceptre  of  his  love  and  in  his  adorable 
goodness  hath  enabled  me  to  sing  his  praise  as  on  the  banks  of 
deliverance.  What,  oh !  what  must  be  the  prospect  of  those 
who  never  sought  God  with  full  purpose  of  heart !  It  is  the 
whole  heart  He  calls  for,  and  He  loves  an  early  sacrifice. 


4 


BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  SARAH  S.  COLE. 


When  death,  awful  death  stares  them  in  the  face  and  then, 
prepared  or  not,  they  must  go,  dreadful  is  their  situation. 

"  Oh !  my  dear  friend  make  [Christ]  thy  choice,  and  thou 
never  wilt  have  cause  to  repent  it ;  I  hope  thou  wilt  not  take  it 
amiss  that  I  invite  thee  so  ardently,  earnestly  and  pressingly 
to  seek  the  Lord ;  for  I  am  brought  to  see  the  necessity  of  it. 
It  is  the  last  advice  from  thy  true  friend." 

She  was  often  exercised  in  anticipating  the  hour  of  death, 
fearing  she  could  not  bear  it  quietly.  But  one  morning  her 
mother  coming  into  the  room  she  clasped  her  neck,  and  said : 
"O,  dear  mother,  what  a  precious  Father  I  have  !  He  has  been 
pleased  in  his  infinite  mercy  to  remove  all  my  fears ;  promising 
to  be  with  me  in  the  hour  of  departure  and  support  me  through 
all.  I  think  I  shall  live  two  days  from  this.  Oh,  mother !  sit 
down  and  help  me  to  praise  God  for  his  many  favors  towards 
me !  My  pain  of  body  is  at  times  great,  but  my  peace  of  mind 
makes  up  for  all." 

The  day  before  her  departure  she  believed  her  work  was 
nearly  done,  and  the  next  morning  said  to  her  mother :  "  Do 
not  go  down  to  thy  breakfast,  but  let  it  be  brought  up,  for  this 
is  the  last  day  we  shall  spend  together  in  this  world."  She  was 
asked  if  she  felt  more  poorly.  She  replied,  "  No !  but  I  feel 
convinced  this  is  the  last  day  of  my  stay  here.  O,  dear 
mother !  do  give  me  up  willingly.  Remember  it  is  the  willing 
and  obedient  that  shall  be  blessed.  One  request  I  have  to 
make— that  thou  wilt  sit  by  me  and  not  grieve."  She  then 
desired  her  mother  to  read  to  her,  which  she  did  until  she  said  it 
was  enough  and  that  it  would  be  the  last  reading  that  she  should 
ever  hear.  She  then  lay  very  quiet  and  composed,  waiting  for 
the  solemn  change.  She  slept  sweetly  for  a  little  while  and 
revived  about  12  o'clock,  and  engaged  in  fervent  supplication 
on  behalf  of  her  father  and  her  two  little  brothers  and  others, 
and  then  was  just  heard  to  say,  "  Sweet  Jesus,  come,  and  if 
consistent  with  Thy  will,  take  me  to  thyself.  Oh !  yes  come 
quickly,  I  long  to  give  up  this  body  of  clay.  Without  Thee 
there  is  no  Balm  in  Gilead,  nor  any  Physician  there!  O 
sweet  Jesus !  take  me  to  Thyself!  Thou  art  my  precious  friend 
— my  Saviour."  She  then  quietly  departed  on  the  21st  day 
of  the  Sixth  Month,  1816. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a. 


No.  167. 


OUR 


Unconscious  influence. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  EMENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1888. 


Our  Unconscious  Influence. 


In  an  article  on  the  unconscious  influence  which  we 
exert  over  each  other,  F.  N.  Zabriskie  mentions  the  case 
of  a  woman  who  had  occasion  to  stop  for  a  moment  in 
the  street  to  speak  to  a  mechanic,  and  then  walked  on ; 
the  interview  quickly  passing  from  her  mind.  A  year 
after  he  came  and  told  her  that  he  had  not  touched  a 
drop  of  liquor  since  that  day.  She  wondered  why  he 
should  have  told  her  of  it,  until  informed  that  on  the 
occasion,  she  had  stepped  a  little  aside  while  talking 
with  him,  because,  as  he  supposed  his  breath  was  offen- 
sive to  her  from  the  fumes  of  liquor.  He  had  instantly 
said  to  himself,  with  a  sudden  consciousness  of  degre- 
dation:  "Have  I  reached  the  point  where  this  lady 
shrinks  from  me  as  from  one  unclean?  It  is  time  for 
me  to  stop  short!"  She  surprised  him  by  saying  that 
her  movement  had  no  such  motive.  But  the  effect  had 
been  the  same,  and  her  unconscious  influence  through 
the  Witness  for  Truth  in  his  heart  had  done  more  to 
make  him  a  sober  man  than  many  temperance  lectures 
would  probably  have  done. 

It  is  a  serious  thought,  that  all  of  us  are  daily  exert- 
ing an  influence  upon  other  persons  which  we  may  be 


OUR  UNCONSCIOUS  INFLUENCE. 


8 


wholly  or  in  great  part  unconscious  of.  Whether  this 
influence  is  for  good  or  for  evil,  depends  upon  the  kind 
of  moral  atmosphere  we  carry  about  with  us.  If  this  is 
impure  it  will  injure  others;  if  it  is  contaminated  with 
harshness,  anger,  impatience  or  evil  speaking,  it  will 
either  repel  or  else  it  will  beget  its  like  in  others.  On 
the  other  hand  if  it  be  filled  with  love,  gentleness, 
goodness,  self-restraint  and  other  fruits  of  the  Divine 
Spirit,  it  is  these  that  will  go  out  to  cheer  and  to  bless. 
As  the  light  of  a  lamp  or  the  fragrance  of  a  flower,  a 
part  of  ourselves  reaches  outside  of,  and  beyond  our- 
selves. 

On  this  subject,  J.  E.  Miller  says:  "Every  good 
man  is  constantly  scattering  these  unconscious,  unpur- 
posed influences.  A  mother  works  hard  all  day  in  her 
home,  keeping  her  house  in  order,  preparing  comforts 
for  her  family,  watching  over  her  children.  She  can 
tell  in  the  evening  just  how  many  garments  she  has 
mended,  how  many  rooms  she  has  swept,  and  the  en- 
tire day's  history;  but  all  day  long  she  was  patient, 
gentle,  kind.  At  every  turn  she  had  a  bright  smile 
for  her  children ;  she  had  cheering  words  and  fond  at- 
tention for  her  husband ;  she  had  a  pleasant  welcome 
for  the  friends  who  called ;  in  all  these  things  she  was 
unconsciously  scattering  seeds  that  will  spring  up  in 
sweet  flowers  in  other  hearts  and  lives.  Who  doubts 
which  of  these  two  ministries  is  in  reality  the  richer 
and  the  more  effective  ?  Yet  the  tired  woman  does  not 
think  of  counting  the  wayside  influences  and  services 
at  all  in  her  retrospect  of  the  day's  work.   If  she  could 


4 


OUR  UNCONSCIOUS  INFLUENCE. 


do  so  it  would  greatly  cheer  her,  and  strengthen  her  for 
a  new  day's  life  when  it  begins. 

"We  do  not  realize  the  importance  of  this  uncon- 
scious part  of  our  life  ministry.  In  every  greeting  we 
give  to  another  on  the  street,  in  every  moments'  con- 
versation, in  every  letter  we  write,  in  every  contact  with 
other  lives,  there  is  a  subtle  influence  that  goes  from  us 
that  often  reaches  farther,  and  leaves  a  deeper  impress- 
sion  than  the  things  themselves  that  we  are  doing  at 
the  time.  After  all,  it  is  life  itself,  sanctified  life,  that 
is  God's  holiest  and  most  effective  ministry  in  this 
world — pure,  sweet,  patient,  earnest,  unselfish,  loving 
life.  It  is  not  so  much  what  we  do  in  this  world  as 
what  we  are,  that  tells  in  spiritual  results  and  impres- 
sions. A  good  life  is  like  a  flower,  which,  though  it 
neither  toil  nor  spin,  yet  ever  pours  out  a  rich  nerfume 
and  thus  performs  a  holy  ministry." 

Personal  influence  is  a  quality  that  we  cannot  dis- 
possess ourselves  of,  neither  can  we  measure  its  power 
for  hurting  or  helping,  for  good  or  for  evil ;  but  we 
have  this  assurance  that  in  the  world  to  come  they  that 
be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament, 
and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars 
forever  and  ever.  What  an  incentive  this  thought 
should  be  to  induce  us  to  submit  to  the  operations  of 
Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour  in  our  hearts,  so  that  we  may 
reflect  good  upon  others  and  be  instrumental  in  turning 
them  into  the  paths  of  righteousness. 


No.  168. 

THOUGHTS 

FOR 

Decoration  Day. 


A  day  having  been  set  apart  by  law  to  be  annually 
observed  as  a  holiday,  for  commemorating  the  deeds 
and  decorating  the  graves  of  soldiers  who  died  in  our 
civil  war,  some  thoughts  are  presented  respecting  the 
tendency  of  this  legislation. 

To  such  as  have  lost  those  who  were  near  and  dear 
to  their  hearts,  through  wounds  or  from  sickness  in  the 
service,  or  who  perished  in  loathsome  prisons,  or  by 
the  hardships  of  the  camp  or  the  march,  it  is  desired 
that  nothing  may  be  said  to  add  to  their  grief  or  to 
increase  the  depth  of  their  sorrow.  It  is  one  of  the 
consequences  of  war  to  make  wounds  in  human  hearts 
that  time  can  never  heal.  The  grass  may  grow  over 
the  field  of  carnage  and  the  signs  of  war  be  effaced ; 


2 


THOUGHTS  FOR  DECORATION  DAY. 


but  in  the  hearts  of  widows  and  orphans  there  is  an 
aching  void  for  which  earth  has  no  solace  and  this  life 
no  remedy. 

We  are  taught  to  pray  to  our  Father  in  Heaven : 
"  Thy  kingdom  come,  thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it 
is  in  heaven."  Can  this  prayer  be  fulfilled  among  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  so  long  as  a  system  is  defended 
and  advocated  that  makes  men  kill,  maim  and  injure 
their  fellow-men  ?  Can  any  of  us  believe  it  is  the  Divine 
will  that  an  establishment  should  be  upheld  with  com- 
mendation and  honor,  which,  when  brought  into  active 
service,  is  always  followed  by  a  lowered  moral  standard 
and  an  increase  of  vice  and  crime? 

When  men  are  taught  that  duty  to  their  country 
requires  them  to  destro}7  the  lives  and  cripple  the  bodies 
of  its  enemies — whether  real  or  supposed — to  burn 
their  towns,  their  houses  and  their  barns,  and  to  take 
from  them  without  compensation,  their  stock  and  pro- 
visions, is  it  any  marvel  that  many  persons  thus  edu- 
cated, when  peace  is  restored  and  they  are  discharged 
from  the  army,  should  continue  to  kill,  to  commit 
arson,  and  to  rob  ?  Not  by  any  means  is  it  the  case 
„  that  all  discharged  soldiers  are  demoralized  to  this 
extent;  but  is  not  this  the  tendency  with  men  of  weak 
minds,  and  of  those  whose  passions  have  been  inflamed 
by  participation  in  the  vices  of  camp  life  and  the 
slaughter  of  human  beings? 

Perhaps  there  are  few  persons  who  will  not  admi 
that,  in  the  abstract,  war  is  wrong;  that  it  involve 
considerations  wholly  at  variance  with  the  example  o 


THOUGHTS  FOR  DECORATION  DAT; 


our  Saviour  and  the  teachings  of  his  "  Sermon  on  the 
Mount."  But  there  is  an  attempt  to  justify  it  on  the 
ground  of  expediency  and  as  a  means  of  national  unity 
and  safety.  All  arguments  on  this  hand,  however, 
when  viewed  in  the  light  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  van- 
ish as  the  mist  before  the  morning  sun. 

It  is  painful  to  read  the  extravagant  and  unwarrant- 
able language  often  made  use  of  in  Decoration  ad- 
dresses ;  picturing  those  who  were  slain  in  war  as  the 
"sainted  dead;" — assuming  that  whatever  may  have 
been  their  lives  in  the  past,  or  at  the  time  of  their  death, 
the  sacrifice  made  for  their  country  was  a  full  atone- 
ment for  all  their  sins.  And  these  panegyrics,  some- 
times from  professed  ministers  of  the  Gospel  of  Peace ! 
— u  And  his  name  shall  be  called  *  *  *  the  Prince  of 
Peace." 

The  responsibility  of  wars  among  civilized  nations — 
and  these  are  the  most  destructive — rests  upon  profess- 
ing Christians.  Thomas  Clarkson  truthfully  says  that 
"  it  was  not  until  the  Church  became  corrupted  that 
Christians  became  soldiers."  For  it  is  a  matter  of  his- 
tory that  the  Christians  of  the  first  and  second  centuries, 
bore  a  faithful  testimony  against  all  wars,  and  some  of 
them  sufTered  martyrdom  because  of  their  refusal  to 
fight. 

It  is  encouraging  to  know  that  there  is  a  growing 
sentiment  in  this  country  and  in  England,  in  favor  of 
settling  national  differences  by  arbitration;  and  the 
example  set  by  the  two  countries,  of  resorting  to  this 


4 


THOUGHTS   FOR   DECORATION  DAY. 


peaceful  remedy  for  a  threatened  Avar  growing  out  of 
our  rebellion,  was  a  noble  one. 

But  there  is  ground  for  fear  that  this  custom  of  deco- 
ration, with  its  attendant  scenes  for  reviving  the  mem- 
ories of  the  war,  may -inflame  the  minds  of  the  young 
men  with  a  desire  for  military  glory,  and  retard  the 
coming  of  that  truly  glorious  day,  when  swords  shall 
be  beaten  into  plowshares  and  spears  into  pruning- 
hooks;  when  nation  shall  not  lift  up  sword  against 
nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war  any  more.* 

*  Tsaiah  ii.  4.        Micah  iv.  .°>. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No,  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a. 


No.  109. 


THE  EFFECTS  OF 

WORLDLY  -  MINDEDXESS 

EXEMPLIFIED. 


Through  industry,  careful  habits,  and  a  vigilant  watch  of 
the  market,  a  certain  person  had  accumulated  what  is  called 
a  handsome  property.  His  means  were  far  beyond  any  prob- 
able personal  wants,  and  he  had  no  children  for  whom  to 
provide. 

The  autumn  preceding  an  extraordinary  rise  in  the  prices 
of  provisions,  which  at  one  time  occasioned  much  distress 
among  the  poor,  brought  him,  from  his  farm,  an  unusually 
large  crop  of  corn.  Before  it  was  ready  for  market,  the  aj>- 
proaching  rise  was  distinctly  foreshadowed,  and  the  sharper 
class  of  farmers  held  on.  Their  expectations  were  more  than 
realized.  Scarcity  abroad,  combined  with  the  Crimean  war 
to  produce  an  almost  unexampled  demand,  and  the  tactics  of 
speculation  over-wrought  even  the  natural  effect  of  these 
causes. 

This  man  was  among  those  who  reserved  their  crops  for  high- 
er prices.  He  was  sure  corn  would  go  up  to  a  dollar,  and  he 
would  wait  for  that  mark.  The  market  reached  it,  but  the 
indications  of  advance  were  stronger  than  before.  Not  wholly 
forgetful  of  the  danger  of  overstaying  the  tide,  he  was  sure  it 
had  not  reached  its  height.  He  was  right.  Corn  went  up  to 
11.10,  and  still  up,  up,  to  81.15.  81.20,  81.30,  but  the  higher  the 
price,  the  wilder  grew  his  confidence  that  the  maximum  was 
not  yet  reached.  In  the  meantime  another  year  came  around, 
bringing  him  another  full -crop,  whilst  as  yet,  every  bushel  of 


2   THE  EFFECTS  OF  WORLDLY-MINDEDNESS  EXEMPLIFIED. 

the  old  was  waiting  for  the  top  of  the  market.  Just  then  the 
market  snapped  under  the  excessive  strain.  The  fall  was 
rapid,  yet  there  was  sufficient  quivering  to  feed  the  hopes  of 
those  who  had  trifled  with  their  best  opportunity. 

Our  neighbor  did  not  seize  upon  the  first  mark  in  the  de- 
scending scale ;  he  was  sure  there  would  be  a  rally.  Down, 
down  it  went ;  still  he  would  not  sell,  for  by  this  time  he  had 
lost  all  heart  to  sell  for  seventy-five  cents,  when  a  few  weeks 
before,  he  might  have  taken  nearly  double  the  amount.  On 
the  arrival  of  every  mail,  his  first  inquiry  was,  "  What  about 
corn  ? "  and  whenever  a  neighbor  returned  from  market,  he 
met  him  with  the  anxious  question,  "  What's  corn  ?  what's 
corn?  " 

Just  about  this  time  he  was  taken  sick— at  first  slightly,  but 
soon  alarming  symptoms  appeared.  The  pastor  of  the  congre- 
gation, whose  worship  he  generally  attended,  visited  him,  and 
sought  to  turn  his  thoughts  away  from  corn,  and  cattle,  and 
the  world,  to  subjects  of  higher  interest  for  the  dying  man.  At 
length  his  physician  abandoned  hope,  and  the  pastor  assumed 
the  solemn  task  of  announcing  the  fact  to  the  patient.  A  con- 
versation followed,  as  long  as  it  was  thought  his  feeble  condi- 
tion would  justify,  and  the  pastor  left  his  bedside  in  the  belief 
that  he  was  brought  to  comprehend  his  position  on  the  verge 
of  eternity.  A  few  minutes  afterward  another  neighbor  ap- 
proached his  bed.  He  was  much  exhausted,  and  unable  to 
articulate  distinctly.  He  made  several  efforts  to  be  under- 
stood, but  for  a  time  unsuccessfully.  At  length  his  feeble  voice 
became  sufficiently  distinct,  to  enable  his  friend  to  catch  the 
words,  "  What's  corn  ?  " 

In  a  few  days  many  assembled  for  his  funeral,  and  listened 
to  the  reading  of  the  thirty-ninth  Psalm,  the  sixth  verse  of 
which,  slowly  and  distinctly  pronounced,  produced  so  profound 
an  impression  upon  those  present,  that  a  full  sermon  was  felt 
in  the  text  alone; — "Surely  every  man  walketh  in  a  vain 
show  ;  surely  they  are  disquieted  in  vain  ;  he  heapeth  up  riches, 
and  knoweth  not  who  shall  gather  them." 

A  few  days  more,  and  the  auctioneer's  hammer  dispersed 
the  corn,  with  all  else  that  was  his,  over  the  country— at  what 
prices,  was  the  least  of  all  things  that  concerned  him. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a., 


No.  170. 


ELIZABETH, 

A   COLORED   MINISTER   OF   THE  GOSPEL, 
Born  in  Slavery. 


"There  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  is  neither  bond  nor  free, 
there  is  neither  male  nor  female,  for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus." — 
Gal.  iii.  25. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TEACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS 
No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1889. 


ELIZABETH, 


A  COLORED  MINISTER  OF  THE  GOSPEL,  &c. 


*I  was  born  in  Maryland  in  the  year  1766.  My  parents 
were  slaves.  Both  my  father  and  mother  were  religious  peo- 
ple, and  belonged  to  the  Methodist  Society.  It  was  my  father's 
practice  to  read  in  the  Bible  aloud  to  his  children  every  sabbath 
morning.  At  these  seasons,  when  I  was  but  five  years  old,  I 
often  felt  the  overshadowing  of  the  Lord's  Spirit,  without  at 
all  understanding  what  it  meant ;  and  these  incomes  and  in- 
fluences continued  to  attend  me  until  I  was  eleven  years  old, 
particularly  when  I  was  alone,  by  which  I  was  preserved  from 
doing  anything  that  I  thought  was  wrong. 

In  the  eleventh  year  of  my  age,  my  master  sent  me  to 
another  farm  several  miles  from  my  parents,  brothers  and 
sisters,  which  was  a  great  trouble  to  me.  At  last  I  grew  so 
lonely  and  sad  I  thought  I  should  die,  if  I  did  not  see  my 
mother.  I  asked  the  overseer  if  I  might  go,  but  being  posi- 
tively denied,  I  concluded  to  go  without  his  knowledge.  When 
I  reached  home  my  mother  was  away.  I  set  off  and  wTalked 
twenty  miles  before  I  found  her.  I  staid  with  her  for  several 
days,  and  we  returned  together.  Next  day  I  was  sent  back 
to  my  new  place,  which  renewed  my  sorrow.  At  parting,  my 
mother  told  me  that  I  had  "  nobody  in  the  wide  world  to  look 
to  but  God."  These  words  fell  upon  my  heart  with  ponderous 
weight,  and  seemed  to  add  to  my  grief.    I  went  back  repeat- 

*In  the  following  narrative  of  "Old  Elizabeth/'  which  was  taken 
mainly  from  her  own  lips  in  her  ninety-seventh  year,  her  simple  language 
has  been  adhered  to  as  strictly  as  was  consistent  with  perspicuity  and 
propriety. 


ELIZABETH,  A  COLORED   MINISTER   OF  THE  GOSPEL.  3 


ins  as  I  went,  "  none  but  God  in  the  wide  world."  On  reach- 
ing  the  farm,  I  found  the  overseer  was  displeased  at  me  for 
going  without  his  liberty.  He  tied  me  with  a  rope,  and  gave 
me  some  stripes,  of  which  I  carried  the  marks  for  weeks. 

After  this  time,  finding  as  my  mother  said,  I  had  none  in 
the  world  to  look  to  but  God,  I  betook  myself  to  prayer, 
and  in  every  lonely  place  I  found  an  altar.  I  mourned  sore 
like  a  dove  and  chattered  forth  my  sorrow,  moaning  in  the 
corners  of  the  field,  and  under  the  fences. 

I  continued  in  this  state  for  about  six  months,  feeling  as 
though  my  head  were  waters,  and  I  could  do  nothing  but  weep. 
I  lost  my  appetite,  and  not  being  able  to  take  enough  food  to 
sustain  nature,  I  became  so  weak  I  had  but  little  strength  to 
work ;  still  I  was  required  to  do  all  my  duty.  One  evening, 
after  the  duties  of  the  day  were  ended,  I  thought  I  could  not 
live  over  the  night,  so  threwT  myself  on  a  bench,  expecting  to 
die,  and  without  being  prepared  to  meet  my  Maker ;  and  my 
spirit  cried  within  me,  must  I  die  in  this  state,  and  be  banished 
from  Thy  presence  forever?  I  own  I  am  a  sinner  in  Thy 
sight,  and  not  fit  to  live  where  thou  art.  Still  it  was  my 
fervent  desire  that  the  Lord  would  pardon  me.  Just  at  this 
season,  I  saw  with  my  spiritual  eye,  an  awful  gulf  of  misery. 
As  I  thought  I  was  about  to  plunge  into  it,  I  heard  a  voice 
saying,  "  rise  up  and  pray,"  which  strengthened  me.  I  fell  on 
my  knees  and  prayed  the  best  I  could  the  Lord's  prayer. 
Knowing  no  more  to  say,  I  halted,  but  continued  on  my  knees. 
My  spirit  was  then  taught  to  pray,  "  Lord  have  mercy  on  me — 
Christ  save  me."  Immediately  there  appeared  a  director, 
clothed  in  white  raiment,  I  thought  he  took  me  by  the  hand 
and  said,  "  come  with  me."  He  led  me  down  a  long  journey 
to  a  fiery  gulf,  and  left  me  standing  upon  the  brink  of  this 
awful  pit.  I  began  to  scream  for  mercy,  thinking  I  was  about 
to  sink  to  endless  ruin.  Although  I  prayed  and  wrestled  with 
all  my  might,  it  seemed  in  vain.  Still  I  felt  all  the  while  that 
I  was  sustained  by  some  invisible  power.  At  this  solemn  mo- 
ment, I  thought  I  saw  a  hand  from  wdiich  hung,  as  it  were,  a 
silver  hair,  and  a  voice  told  me  that  all  the  hope  I  had  of 


4 


ELIZABETH.  A  COLORED  MINISTER 


being  saved  was  no  more  than  a  hair ;  still,  pray  and  it  will  be 
sufficient.  I  then  renewed  my  struggle,  crying  for  mercy  and 
salvation,  until  I  found  that  every  cry  raised  me  higher  and 
higher,  and  my  head  was  quite  above  the  fiery  pillars.  Then 
I  thought  I  was  permitted  to  look  straight  forward  and  saw 
the  Saviour  standing  with  his  hand  stretched  out  to  receive 
me.  An  indescribably  glorious  light  was  m  Him,  and  He 
said,  "  peace,  peace,  come  unto  me."  At  this  moment  I  felt 
that  my  sins  were  forgiven  me,  and  the  time  of  my  deliverance 
was  at  hand.  I  sprang  forward  and  fell  at  his  feet,  giving 
Him  all  the  thanks  and  highest  praises,  crying,  Thou  hast  re- 
deemed me — Thou  hast  redeemed  me  to  thyself.  I  felt  filled 
with  light  and  love.  At  this  moment  I  thought  my  former  guide 
took  me  again  by  the  hand  and  led  me  upward,  till  I  came  to  the 
celestial  world  and  to  heaven's  door,  which  I  saw  was  open,  and 
while  I  stood  there,  a  power  surrounded  me  which  drew  me  in, 
and  I  saw  millions  of  glorified  spirits  in  white  robes.  After  I  had 
this  view,  I  thought  I  heard  a  voice  saying,  "Art  thou  willing  to 
be  saved  ?"  I  said,  "  Yes  Lord."  Again  I  was  asked,  "Art 
thou  willing  to  be  saved  in  my  way  ?"  I  stood  speechless  until 
he  asked  me  again,  "Art  thou  willing  to  be  saved  in  my  way?" 
Then  I  heard  a  whispering  voice  say,  "  If  thou  art  not  saved 
in  the  Lord's  way,  thou  canst  not  be  saved  at  all ;"  at  which  I 
exclaimed,  "Yes  Lord,  in  thy  own  way."  Immediately  a 
light  fell  upon  my  head,  and  I  was  filled  with  light  and  I  was 
shown  the  world  lying  in  wickedness,  and  was  told  I  must  go 
there,  and  call  the  people  to  repentance,  for  the  day  of  the 
Lord  was  at  hand  ;  and  this  message  was  as  a  heavy  yoke  upon 
me,  so  that  I  wept  bitterly  at  the  thought  of  what  I  should  have 
to  pass  through.  While  I  wept,  I  heard  a  voice  say,  "  weep  not, 
some  will  laugh  at  thee,  some  will  scoff  at  thee,  and  the  dogs 
will  bark  at  thee,  but  while  thou  doest  my  will,  I  will  be  with 
thee  to  the  ends  of  the  earth." 

I  was  at  this  time  not  yet  thirteen  years  old.  The  next  day, 
when  I  had  come  to  myself,  I  felt  like  a  new  creature  in  Christ, 
and  all  my  desire  was  to  see  the  Saviour. 

I  lived  in  a  place  where  there  was  no  preaching,  and  no 


OF  THE  ItU^PEL. 


5 


religious  instruction ;  but  every  day  I  went  out  amongst  the 
hay-stacks,  where  the  presence  of  the  Lord  overshadowed  me, 
and  I  was  filled  with  sweetness  and  joy,  and  was  as  a  vessel  filled 
with  holy  oil.  In  this  way  I  continued  for  about  a  year ; 
many  times  while  my  hands  were  at  my  work,  my  spirit  was 
carried  away  to  spiritual  things.  One  day  as  I  was  going  to 
my  old  place  behind  the  hay-stacks  to  pray,  I  was  assailed 
with  this  language,  "Are  you  going  there  to  weep  and  pray? 
what  a  fool !  there  are  older  professors  than  you  are,  and  they 
do  not  take  that  way  to  get  to  heaven  ;  people  whose  sins  are 
forgiven  ought  to  be  joyful  and  lively,  and  not  be  struggling 
and  praying."  With  this  I  halted  and  concluded  I  would  not 
go,  but  do  as  other  professors  did  and  so  went  off  to  play ;  but 
at  this  moment  the  light  that  was  in  me  became  darkened,  and 
the  peace  and  joy  that  I  once  had,  departed  from  me. 

About  this  time  I  was  moved  back  to  the  farm  where  my 
mother  lived,  and  then  sold  to  a  stranger.  Here  I  had  deep 
sorrows  and  plungings,  not  having  experienced  a  return  of 
that  sweet  evidence  and  light  with  which  I  had  been  favor- 
ed formerly;  but  by  watching  unto  prayer,  and  wrestling 
mightily  with  the  Lord,  my  peace  gradually  returned,  and 
with  it  a  great  exercise  and  weight  upon  my  heart  for  the 
salvation  of  my  fellow-creatures ;  and  I  was  often  carried  to 
distant  lands  and  shown  places  where  I  should  have  to  travel 
and  deliver  the  Lord's  message.  Years  afterward:?,  I  found 
myself  visiting  those  towns  and  countries  that  I  had  seen  in 
the  light  as  I  sat  at  home  at  my  sewing, — places  of  which  I 
had  never  heard. 

Some  years  from  this  time  I  was  sold  to  a  Presbyterian  for 
a  term  of  years,  as  he  did  not  think  it  right  to  hold  slaves  for 
life.  Having  served  him  faithfully  my  time  out.  he  gave  me 
my  liberty,  which  was  about  the  thirtieth  year  of  my  age. 

As  I  now  lived  in  a  neighborhood  where  I  could  attend  re- 
ligious meetings,  occasionally  I  felt  moved  to  speak  a  few 
words  therein ;  but  I  shrank  from  it — so  great  was  the  cross 
to  my  nature. 

I  did  not  speak  much  till  I  had  reached  my  forty-second 


6 


ELIZABETH,  A  COLORED  MINISTER 


year,  when  it  was  revealed  to  me  that  the  message  which  had 
been  given  to  me  I  had  not  yet  delivered,  and  the  time  had 
come.  As  I  could  read  but  little,  I  questioned  within  myself 
how  it  would  be  possible  for  me  to  deliver  the  message,  when 
I  did  not  understand  the  Scriptures.  I  went  from  one  reli- 
gious professor  to  another,  enquiring  of  them -what  ailed  me; 
but  of  all  these  I  could  find  none  who  could  throw  any  light 
upon  such  impressions.  They  all  told  me  there  was  nothing 
in  Scripture  that  would  sanction  such  exercises.  It  was  hard 
for  men  to  travel,  and  what  would  women  do?  These  things 
greatly  discouraged  me,  and  shut  up  my  way,  and  caused  me 
to  resist  the  Spirit.  After  going  to  all  that  were  accounted 
pious,  and  receiving  no  help,  I  returned  to  the  Lord,  feeling 
that  I  was  nothing,  and  knew  nothing  and  wrestled  and  pray- 
ed to  the  Lord  that  He  would  fully  reveal  his  will,  and  make 
the  way  plain. 

Whilst  I  thus  struggled,  there  seemed  a  light  from  heaven 
to  fall  upon  me  which  banished  all  my  desponding  fears,  and 
I  was  enabled  to  form  a  new  resolution  to  go  on  to  prison  and 
to  death,  if  it  might  be  my  portion :  and  the  Lord  showed  me 
that  it  was  his  will  I  should  be  resigned  to  die  any  death  that 
might  be  my  lot,  in  carrying  his  message,  and  be  entirely 
crucified  to  the  world,  and  sacrifice  all  to  his  glory  that  was 
then  in  my  possession,  wThich  his  witnesses,  the  holy  Apostles, 
had  done  before  me.  It  Was  then  revealed  to  me  that  the 
Lord  had  given  me  the  evidence  of  a  clean  heart,  in  which  I 
could  rejoice  clay  and  night,  and  I  walked  and  talked  with 
God,  and  my  soul  was  illuminated  with  heavenly  light,  and  I 
knew  nothing  but  Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  crucified. 

One  day,  after  these  things,  while  I  was  at  my  work,  the 
Spirit  directed  me  to  go  to  a  poor  widow,  and  ask  her  if  I 
might  have  a  meeting  at  her  house,  which  was  situated  in  one 
of  the  lowest  and  worst  streets  in  Baltimore.  With  great  joy 
she  gave  notice,  and  at  the  time  appointed  I  appeared  there 
among  a  few  colored  sisters.  When  they  had  all  prayed,  they 
called  upon  me  to  close  the  meeting,  and  I  felt  an  impression 
that  I  must  say  a  few  words;  and  while  I  was  speaking 


OF  THE  GOSPEL. 


7 


the  house  seemed  filled  with  light ;  and  when  I  was  about  to 
close  the  meeting,  and  was  kneeling,  a  man  came  in  and  stood 
till  I  arose.  It  proved  to  be  a  watchman.  The  sisters  became 
so  frightened,  they  all  went  away  except  the  one  who  lived  in 
the  house,  and  an  old  woman  ;  they  both  appeared  to  be  much 
frightened,  fearing  they  should  receive  some  personal  injury, 
or  be  put  out  of  the  house.  A  feeling  of  weakness  came  over 
me  for  a  short  time,  but  I  soon  grew  warm  and  courageous  in 
the  Spirit.  The  man  then  said  tome,  "I  was  sent  here  to 
break  up  your  meeting.  Complaint  has  been  made  to  me  that 
the  people  round  here  cannot  sleep  for  the  racket."  I  replied, 
"  a  good  racket  is  better  than  a  bad  racket.  How  do  they 
rest  when  the  ungodly  are  dancing  and  fiddling  till  midnight? 
Why  are  not  they  molested  by  the  watchmen  ?  and  why  should 
we  be  for  praising  God.  our  Maker?  Are  we  worthy  of  greater 
punishment  for  praying  to  Him?  and  are  we  to  be  prohibited 
from  doing  so,  that  sinners  may  remain  slumbering  in  their 
sins?"  Speaking  several  words  more,  he  turned  pale  and  trem- 
bled, and  begged  my  pardon,  acknowledging  that  it  was  not  his 
wish  to  interrupt  us,  and  that  he  would  never  disturb  a  religious 
assembly  again.  He  then  took  leave  of  me  in  a  comely  manner 
and  wished  us  success. 

Our  meeting  gave  great  offence,  and  we  were  forbid  holding 
any  more  assemblies.  Even  the  elders  of  our  meeting  joined 
with  the  wicked  people,  and  said  such  meetings  must  be  stopped* 
and  that  woman  quieted.  But  I  was  not  afraid  of  any  of  them 
and  continued  to  go,  and  burnt  with  a  zeal  not  my  own.  The 
old  sisters  were  zealous  sometimes,  and  at  other  times  would 
sink  under  the  cross.  Thus  they  grew  cold,  at  which  I  was 
much  grieved.  I  proposed  to  them  to  ask  the  elders  to  send  a 
brother,  which  was  concluded  upon. 

We  went  on  for  several  years,  and  the  Lord  was  with  us 
with  great  power  it  proved,  to  the  conversion  of  many  souls, 
and  we  continued  to  grow  stronger. 

I  felt  at  times  that  I  must  exercise  in  the  ministry,  but  when 
I  rose  upon  my  feet  I  felt  ashamed,  and  so  I  went  under  a 
cloud  for  some  time,  and  endeavored  to  keep  silence ;  but  I 


8 


ELIZABETH,  A  COLORED  MINISTER 


could  not  quench  the  Spirit.  I  was  rejected  by  the  elders  and 
rulers,  as  Christ  was  rejected  by  the  Jews  before  me,  and 
while  others  were  excused  in  crimes  of  the  darkest  dye,  I  was 
hunted  down  in  every  place  where  I  appointed  a  meeting. 
Wading  through  many  sorrows,  I  thought  at  times  I  might  as 
well  be  banished  from  this  life,  as  to  feel  the  Almighty  drawing 
me  one  way,  and  man  another ;  so  that  I  was  tempted  to  cast 
myself  into  the  dock.  But  contemplating  the  length  of  eterni- 
ty, and  how  long  my  sufferings  would  be  in  that  unchangeable 
world,  compared  with  this,  if  I  endured  a  little  longer,  the 
Lord  was  pleased  to  deliver  me  from  this  gloomy,  melancholy 
state  in  his  own  time ;  though  while  this  temptation  lasted  I 
roved  up  and  down,  and  talked  and  prayed. 

I  often  felt  that  I  was  unfit  to  assemble  with  the  congrega- 
tion with  whom  I  had  gathered,  and  had  sometimes  been  made 
to  rejoice  in  the  Lord.  I  felt  that  I  was  despised  on  account 
of  this  gracious  calling,  and  was  looked  upon  as  a  speckled 
bird  by  the  ministers  to  whom  I  looked  for  instruction,  and  to 
whom  I  resorted  every  opportunity  for  the  same ;  but  when  I 
would  converse  with  them,  some  would  cry  out,  "  You  are  an 
enthusiast ;"  and  others  said,  "  the  Discipline  did  not  allow  of 
any  such  division  of  the  work  ;"  until  I  began  to  think  I  surely 
must  be  wrong.  Under  this  reflection,  I  had  another  gloomy 
cloud  to  struggle  through  ;  but  after  awhile  I -felt  much  moved 
upon  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  and  meeting  with  an  aged 
sister  I  found  upon  conversing  with  her  that  she  could  sympa- 
thize with  me  in  this  spiritual  work.  She  was  the  first  one  I 
had  met  with,  who  could  fully  understand  my  exercises.  She 
offered  to  open  her  house  for  a  meeting,  and  run  the  risk  of  all 
the  church  would  do  to  her  for  it.  Many  were  afraid  to  open 
their  houses  in  this  way,  lest  they  should  be  turned  out  of  the 
church. 

I  persevered,  notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  those  who 
were  looked  upon  as  higher  and  wiser.  The  meeting  was 
appointed,  and  but  few  came.  I  felt  much  backwardness, 
and  as  though  I  could  not  pray,  but  a  pressure  upon  me  to 
arise  and  express  myself  by  way  of  exhortation.    After  hesi- 


OF  THE  GOSPEL. 


9 


tating  for  some  time  whether  I  would  take  up  the  cross  or  no, 
I  arose,  and  after  expressing  a  few  words,  the  Spirit  came 
upon  me  with  life,  and  a  victory  was  gained  over  the  power 
of  darkness,  and  we  could  rejoice  together  in  his  love. 

As  for  myself,  I  was  so  full  I  hardly  knew  whether  I  was 
in  the  body,  or  out  of  the  body — so  great  was  my  joy  for  the 
victory  on  the  Lord's  side.  But  the  persecution  against  me 
increased,  and  a  complaint  was  carried  forward,  as  was  done 
formerly  against  Daniel,  the  servant  of  God,  and  the  elders 
came  out  with  indignation  for  my  holding  meetings  contrary 
to  discipline — being  a  woman. 

Thus  we  see  when  the  heart  is  not  inspired,  and  the  inward 
eye  enlightened  by  the  Spirit,  we  are  incapable  of  discerning 
the  mystery  of  God  in  these  things.  Individuals  creep  into 
the  church  that  are  un regenerate,  and  after  they  have  been 
there  awhile,  they  fancy  that  they  have  got  the  Grace  of  God, 
while  they  are  destitute  of  it.  '  They  may  have  a  degree  of 
light  in  their  heads,  but  evil  in  their  hearts;  which  makes 
them  think  they  are  qualified  to  be  judges  of  the  ministry, 
and  their  conceit  makes  them  very  busy  in  matters  of  religion, 
judging  of  the  revelations  that  are  given  to  others,  while  they 
have  received  none  themselves.  Being  thus  mistaken,  they 
are  calculated  to  make  a  great  deal  of  confusion  in  the  church, 
and  clog  the  true  ministry. 

These  are  they  who  eat  their  own  bread,  and  wear  their 
own  apparel,  having  the  form  of  godliness,  but  are  destitute 
of  the  power. 

Again  I  felt  encouraged  to  attend  another  and  another 
appointment,  At  one  of  these  meetings,  some  of  the  class- 
leaders  were  present,  who  were  constrained  to  cry  out,  "  Surely 
the  Lord  has  revealed  these  things  to  her,"  and  ask  one  an- 
other if  they  ever  heard  the  like?  I  look  upon  man  as  a 
very  selfish  being,  when  placed  in  a  religious  office,  to  ]:>re- 
sume  to  resist  the  work  of  the  Almighty ;  because  He  does 
not  work  by  man's  authority.  I  did  not  faint  under  dis- 
-  couragement,  but  pressed  on. 

Lender  the  contemplation  of  these  things,  I  slept  but  little, 


10 


ELIZABETH,  A  COLORED  MINISTER 


being  much  engaged  in  receiving  the  revelations  of  the  Divine 
will  concerning  this  work,  and  the  mysterious  call  thereto. 

I  felt  very  unworthy  and  small,  notwithstanding  the  Lord 
had  shown  himself  with  great  power,  insomuch  that  con- 
jecturers  and  critics  were  constrained  to  join  in  praise  to  his 
great  name ;  for  truly,  we  had  times  of  refreshing  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord.  At  one  of  the  meetings,  a  vast  number 
of  the  white  inhabitants  of  the  place,  and  many  colored 
people,  attended — many  no  doubt  from  curiosity  to  hear  what 
the  old  colored  woman  had  to  say.  One,  a  great  scripturian, 
fixed  himself  behind  the  door  with  pen  and  ink,  in  order  to 
take  down  the  discourse  in  short-hand ;  but  the  Almighty 
Being  anointed  me  with  such  a  portion  of  his  Spirit,  that  he 
cast  aw7ay  his  paper  and  pen,  and  heard  the  discourse  with 
patience,  and  was  much  affected,  for  the  Lord  wrought  power- 
fully on  his  heart.  After  meeting,  he  came  forward  and 
offered  me  his  hand,  with  solemnity  on  his  countenance,  and 
handed  me  something  to  pay  for  my  conveyance  home. 

I  returned,  much  strengthened  by  the  Lord's  power,  to  go 
on  to  the  fulfilment  of  his  work,  although  I  was  again  pressed 
by  the  authorities  of  the  church  to  which  I  belonged,  for 
imprudency ;  and  so  much  condemned,  that  I  was  sorely 
tempted  by  the  enemy  to  turn  aside  into  the  wilderness.  I 
was  so  embarrassed  and  encompassed,  I  wondered  within 
myself  whether  all  that  were  called  to  be  mouth-piece  for  the 
Lord  suffered  such  deep  wadings  as  I  experienced. 

I  now  found  I  had  to  travel  still  more  extensively  in  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  and  I  applied  to  the  Lord  for  direction. 
I  was  often  invited  to  go  hither  and  thither,  but  felt  that  I 
must  wait  for  the  dictates  of  his  Spirit. 

At  a  meeting  which  I  held  in  Maryland,  I  was  led  to  speak 
from  the  passage,  "  Woe  to  the  rebellious  city,"  &c.  After 
the  meeting,  the  people  came  where  I  was,  to  take  me  before 
the  squire ;  but  the  Lord  delivered  me  from  their  hands. 

I  also  held  meetings  in  Virginia.  The  people  there  would 
not  believe  that  a  colored  woman  could  preach.  And  more- 
over, as  she  had  no  learning,  they  strove  to  imprison  m 


OF  THE  GOSPEL. 


11 


because  I  spoke  against  slavery :  and  being  brought  up,  they 
asked  by  what  authority  I  spake?  and  if  I  had  been  ordained? 
I  answered,  not  by  the  commission  of  men's  hands :  if  the 
Lord  had  ordained  me,  I  needed  nothing  better. 

As  I  travelled  along  through  the  land,  I  was  led  at  different 
times  to  converse  with  white  men  who  were  by  profession 
ministers  of  the  gospel.  Many  of  them,  up  and  down,  con- 
fessed they  did  not  believe  in  revelation,  which  gave  me  to 
see  that  men  were  sent  forth  as  ministers  without  Christ's 
authority.  In  a  conversation  with  one  of  these,  he  said, 
"You  think  you  have  these  things  by  revelation,  but  there 
has  been  no  such  thing  as  revelation  since  Christ's  ascension." 
I  asked  him  where  the  apostle  John  got  his  revelation  while 
he  was  in  the  Isle  of  Patmos.  With  this,  he  rose  up  and  left 
me,  and  I  said  in  my  spirit,  get  thee  behind  me  Satan. 

I  visited  many  remote  places,  where  there  were  no  meeting- 
houses, and  held  many  glorious  meetings,  for  the  Lord  poured 
out  his  Spirit  in  sweet  effusions.  I  also  travelled  in  Canada, 
and  visited  several  settlements  of  colored  people,  and  felt  an 
open  door  amongst  them. 

I  may  here  remark,  that  while  journeying  through  the 
different  States  of  the  Union,  I  met  with  many  of  the  Quaker 
Friends,  and  visited  them  in  their  families.  I  received  much 
kindness  and  sympathy,  and  no  opposition  from  them,  in  the 
prosecution  of  my  labors. 

On  one  occasion,  in  a  thinly  settled  part  of  the  country, 
seeing  a  Friend's  meeting-house  open,  I  went  in  ;  at  the  same 
time  a  Friend  and  his  little  daughter  followed  me.  AVe 
three  composed  the  meeting.  As  we  sat  there  in  silence,  I 
felt  a  remarkable  oversh  ad  owing  of  the  Divine  presence,  as 
much  so  as  I  ever  experienced  anywhere.  Toward  the  close, 
a  few  words  seemed  to  be  given  me,  which  I  expressed,  and 
left  the  place  greatly  refreshed  in  Spirit.  From  thence  I 
went  to  Michigan,  where  I  found  a  wide  field  of  labor  amongst 
my  own  color.  Here  I  remained  four  years.  I  established  a 
school  for  colored  orphans,  having  always  felt  the  great  im- 
portance of  the  religious  and  moral  ^Weulture  of  children, 


12 


ELIZABETH,  A  COLORED  MINISTER 


and  the  great  need  of  it,  especially  amongst  the  colored  people. 
Having  white  teachers,  I  met  with  much  encouragement. 

My  eighty-seventh  year  had  now  arrived,  when  suffering 
from  disease,  and  feeling  released  from  travelling  further  in 
my  good  Master's  cause,  I  came  on  to  Philadelphia,  where  I 
have  remained  until  this  time,  which  brings  me  to  my  ninety- 
seventh  year.  When  I  went  forth,  it  was  without  purse  or 
scrip, — and  I  have  come  through  great  tribulation  and  temp- 
tation— not  by  any  might  of  my  own,  for  I  feel  that  I  am  but 
as  dust  and  ashes  before  my  almighty  Helper,  who  has,  ac- 
cording to  his  promise,  been  with  me  and  sustained  me  through 
all,  and  gives  me  now  firm  faith  that  He  will  be  with  me  to 
the  end,  and,  in  his  own  good  time,  receive  me  into  his  ever- 
lasting rest. 

A  brief  account  is  added  of  Elizabeth's  last  sickness  and 
death,  which  occurred  Sixth  Month  11th,  1866.  She  pos- 
sessed naturally  great  force  of  character,  a  determined  will, 
acute  perceptions,  with  extreme  nervous  susceptibility. 

It  pleased  her  heavenly  Leader,  for  purposes  of  his  own  use 
and  honor,  to  rein  in  and  discipline  her,  almost  constantly 
through  life,  with  heavy  and  various  sorrows ;  "  without  were 
fightings  and  within  were  fears."  But  the  blessed  effect  of  all 
this,  was  to  bring  her  and  keep  her  under  a  deep  sense  of  her 
unworthiness  of  her  Great  Master's  notice,  and  a  steady  seek- 
ing for,  and  dependence  upon,  the  light  of  his  Spirit,  by  which 
she  walked  through  darkness  in  humble  safety,  and  by  which 
also  her  spiritual  vision  was  at  times  remarkably  opened  to 
perceive  and  understand  the  Lord's  hidden  mysteries. 

Her  love  to  Christ's  flock  everywhere  was  earnest  and 
tender,  as  she  often  declared,  "  how  dear  to  me  are  all  who 
love  Jesus  in  sincerity."  But  against  spiritual  wickedness  in 
high  places  she  seemed  to  feel  herself  especially  bound  to 
testify,  without  fear  of  man,  and  the  integrity  of  her  speech 
not  unfrequently  brought  upon  her  much  suffering  from  such 
as  held  the  form  of  godliness  without  the  power,  in  her  own 
Society ;  as  she  more  than  once  remarked,  "  It  is  not  from  the 


OF  THE  GOSPEL. 


13 


worldly,  so  called,  that  I  have  endured  the  most,  hut  from 
high  professors,  mostly  amongst  my  own  people.  All  manner 
of  evil  have  they  spoken  against  me,  and  cast  me  into  the 
lions'  den,  and  into  the  fiery  furnace,  because  I  worshipped 
the  Lord  with  my  face  towards  Jerusalem" 

This  out-speaking  way  sometimes  gave  offence,  even  where 
much  sympathy  was  felt  for  her.  Of  this  she  was  aware,  and 
observed,  "  amongst  all  religious  professors,  how  few  there  are 
who  will  bear  to  hear  the  truth.  Go  smoothly  along  with 
them,  think  as  they  do,  agree  with  them,  and  all  is  right ;  but 
oppose  them  ever  so  little,  and  they  are  ready  to  cast  brick- 
bats at  you.  Some,  I  know,  have  let  in  hardness  towards  me, 
because  I  have  said  things  that  did  not  please  them,  and  were 
even  offended  at  words  spoken  it  may  have  been  in  times  of 
weakness;  but  whenever  hardness  or  bitterness  enters  our 
hearts  against  another,  Satan  enters  with  it ;  there  is  no  con- 
demnation to  them  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh.  I  have 
nearly  all  my  life  long  been  striving  to  walk  after  the  Spirit, 
through  the  besetments  of  the  devil,  and  the  persecutions  of 
his  people.  When  I  was  a  child,  before  I  knew  that  it  was 
the  Lord  that  was  with  me,  I  loved  to  worship  Him,  and  now 
I  feel  nothing  in  my  way  but  my  unworthiness  to  be  near 
Him,  and  feel  that  I  am  resting  on  his  arm.  1 1  am  the  way? 
the  truth,  and  the  life,'  said  Christ,  yet  how  many  are  striving 
to  buy  the  Truth  with  the  learning  and  wisdom  of  this  world 
— going  to  Egypt  for  it ;  but  '  I  am  the  Way,'  and  no  worldly 
wisdom  can  bring  into  it." 

The  degraded  condition  of  a  very  large  portion  of  the 
people  of  color  in  Philadelphia  brought  her  spirit  almost 
continually  under  heaviness  ;  and  very  fervent  were  her  long- 
ings for  their  uprising  and  deliverance  from  the  captivity  of 
sin.  In  an  address  to  some  who  had  the  charge  of  children, 
which  was  amongst  her  papers,  and  which  had  been  taken 
down  by  one  of  her  friends  from  her  lips,  she  says,  "  Never 
chastise  a  child  in  wrath,  but  use  exhortation  and  reason,  in 
accordance  with  the  commandments  of  God,  hoping  and 
praying  that  the  admonitions  given  may  be  seed  sown  on 


14 


ELIZABETH,  A  COLORED  MINISTER 


good  ground,  which  may  bring  forth  fruit  in  succeeding  gen- 
erations— like  the  small  mustard  seed,  may  spring  up  into  a 
large  plant,  to  shelter  the  birds  of  the  air. 

"  Since  the  Benefactor  of  all  has  granted  emancipation  to 
this  people,  they  need  much  to  improve  their  morals,  and 
prepare  them  for  thanksgiving.  But  we  have  not  seen  the 
church  manifest  the  spirit  of  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  their 
Great  Deliverer.  In  accordance  we  have  not  heard  of  any 
extra  effort  to  call  in  the  outcasts  from  the  corners  of  the 
streets,  to  exhort  them  to  newness  of  life." 

Through  months  of  bodily  anguish,  occasioned  by  gangren- 
ous sores  upon  one  of  her  feet,  which  extended  from  the  toes 
to  the  knee,  destroying  in  its  terrible  course  all  the  flesh,  leav- 
ing the  bone  bare  and  black,  many  sweet  sayings  of  heavenly 
wisdom  fell  from  her  lips — sometimes  in  fragments  as  the  out- 
flow from  the  abundance  of  her  heart — frequently  in  fervent 
ejaculations  for  patience  and  support  in  the  agony  which  it 
was  her  portion  to  endure ;  and  these  were  at  seasons  in  full 
measure  granted  to  her.  At  other  times,  in  words  of  loving 
exhortation  and  true  Christian  sympathy,  she  entreated  some 
who  were  about  her  to  give  up  the  world,  leave  all  and  come 
to  Christ ;  "  Oh  come,  come  to  Jesus,  I  have  always  found 
Him  the  never  failing  Friend." 

Notwithstanding,  her  patience  and  cheerfulness  under  suffer- 
ing were  most  extraordinary,  it  is  not  denied  that  in  the  early 
part  of  her  illness,  the  natural  inflexibility  of  her  disposition, 
as  well  as  irritableness  of  temper,  were  occasionally  indicated ; 
yet  after  such  conflicts  she  would  break  forth  sometimes  in  the 
words  of  "  Israel's  heavenly  songster  "  in  strong  cries  for  help, 
and  then  in  holy,  humble  acknowledgments,  that  the  longe 
for  strength  was  in  the  Lord's  time  vouchsafed.  "  Oh  th 
intense  agony !  this  can  drive  every  thing  away  but  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  that  is  the  Power — the  Father,  the  Son,  and  Hoi 
Ghost.  Oh  !  my  utter  unworthiness  of  all  good.  My  patienc 
is  nothing,  my  fortitude  is  nothing,  my  righteousness  is  noth 
ing;  whatever  good  is  in  me,  is  not  mine,  but  the  Lord's, 
ask  not  that  the  time  may  be  shortened,  but  that  his  will 


OF  THE  GOSPEL. 


15 


may  be  done.  Oh,  what  sorrows,  what  miseries,  what  tears, 
of  myself  I  could  never  bear  it.  My  pain  is  so  great,  my 
head  is  all  confusion ;  yet  through  it  all  I  hear  sweet  singings 
— the  sweet  singings  of  the  Spirit."  (Addressing  a  friend), 
"  Oh,  will  we  ever  walk  the  starry  courts  together?  but  I  am 
so  unworthy.  Christ  was  with  the  Father  when  He  made  the 
world.  How  great  a  work  to  create  the  world,  but  far  greater 
to  redeem  it."  At  another  time,  "  I  have  had  a  bright  view 
from  Pisgah,  of  the  promised  laud.  I  am  Hearing  it,  going 
down  to  Jordan.  The  white  stone,  and  the  new  name,  have 
been  given  me,  and  these  will  be  my  passport  to  the  celestial 
world,  after  a  hundred  years'  pilgrimage.  There  is  no  dark 
valley  before  me — no  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment.  Ah, 
jumping  and  shouting  are  not  religion  !  how  much  there  is  of 
.this,  and  how  little  true  prayer." 

She  was  quite  sensible  that  her  mind  often  wandered.  She 
felt  bewildered.  "  Oh  my  sufferings  are  so  great  that  it  covers 
my  mind  with  broken  clouds.  Then  I  fear  of  giving  way,  but 
the  pain  lulls,  and  all  is  clear — I  can  see  the  fire  is  burning 
on  the  altar,  and  the  work  going  on  ;  and  though  my  flesh  is 
full  of  pain,  my  spirit  is  full  of  peace."  "  Oh  the  sweetness 
of  the  Lord's  presence — how  it  carries  over  all.  There  is  no 
speech  that  can  describe  one  little  glimpse  of  His  glory — eye 
hath  not  seen  it."  After  a  season  of  intense  pain  she  broke 
forth,  "  Oh,  thou  God  of  love,  have  mercy  upon  thy  poor  old 
hand-maiden  ;  hide  not  thy  face  from  thy  servant,  and  if  it  be 
thy  holy  will,  suffer  this  cup  to  pass  from  me ;  Jesus  before 
me  asked  this.  Thou  Son  of  God,  Thou  holy  Dove,  open  the 
doors  of  my  heart  that  the  King  of  peace  may  come  in,  and 
Thy  Xame  be  glorified.  Oh  Lord  !  purify  me  ;  give  me  for- 
titude to  bear  this  furnace ;  wash  me — make  me  all  clean — 
make  me  perfect."  At  another  time,  "  I  see  the  door  open — 
a  little  door.  I  see  the  righteous.  If  Christ  is  in  me,  I  shall 
enter.  By  faith  I  know  Christ  is  in  me.  I  hear  the  sweet 
harpings  of  the  harpers  for  hours  together  through  all  my 
agony  and  confusion.  I  hear  the  heavenly  dulcimers,  I  see 
the  angels.    Oh !  it  is  so  glorious,  it  seems  as  if  soul  and  body 


1G     ELIZABETH,  A  COLORED  MINISTER  OF  THE  GOSPEL. 

would  be  cut  loose."  She  often  seemed  filled  with  unutterable 
gratitude  for  the  abundance  of  her  blessings  "  from  God  through 
others,  but  I  cannot  give  Him  thanks,  only  as  the  spirit  of 
thanksgiving  is  given  me." 

A  few  days  before  her  death,  being  asked  how  she  was,  she 
answered,  "  this  finely  wrought  frame  is  decaying  away.  I  am 
moving  along  the  shore,  looking  across  the  sea  of  sorrow  at 
the  heavenly  habitations.  Sometimes  I  can  see  nothing  but 
the  peace  and  glory  of  heaven.  What  is  all  that  I  suffer,  if 
I  am  only  counted  worthy  to  enter?" 

Two  hours  before  her  close,  her  mind  being  quite  clear,  she 
said,  "  my  body  is  full  of  pain  all  over.  I  long  for  Jerusalem 
my  home.  I  long  to  see  my  Saviour's  face.  My  shackles  are 
broken.  Suffering  has  washed  my  robes  and  made  them  white 
in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  :  now  let  me  be  quiet  for  two  hours.". 
At  the  end  of  that  time  her  breathing  gently  ceased ;  and 
without  doubt  her  ransomed  spirit  entered  through  the  pearl 
gates  into  that  glorious  city  where  none  can  say,  I  am  sick ; 
aged  nearly  101  years. 


Xo.  171. 


INSTANCES 

OF 


OMEN'S  PREACHING 


FROM  THE  APOSTLES'  DAYS  TO  TEE  PRESENT  TIME. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OP  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 


INSTANCES  OP 

WOMEN'S  PREACHING. 


It  would  be  expected,  in  view  of  prophecies  and  declarations 
contained  in  the  New  Testament,  that  in  the  history  of  the 
Christian  Church,  instances  of  the  gift  of  prophecy,  or  declar- 
ing messages  of  gospel  truth  under  the  influences  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  would  appear,  irrespective  of  sex,  in  "  handmaids"  as 
well  as  in  "  servants,"  in  "  daughters"  as  well  as  in  "  sons." 
Accordingly  we  find  that  Philip  had  four  daughters  upon  whom 
was  conferred  the  gift,  and  that  Paul  mentions  women  who 
appear  to  have  labored  with  him,  in  confirmation  of  his  testi- 
mony, that  "  There  is  neither  male  nor  female,  bond  or  free, 
but  all  are  one  in  Christ  Jesus." 

The  "speaking"  of  women  in  the  church,  which  Paul  pro- 
hibits as  mere  speaking  (1  Cor.  xiv :  34,  35  ;  1  Tim.  ii:  11,  12)? 
is  of  a  different  nature  from  those  inspired  public  offerings,  the 
gift  of  which  he  acknowledges  in  women  under  the  names 
"prayer"  and  "prophesying"  (1  Cor.  xi :  5);  declaring 
prophecy  to  be  an  anointed  speaking  "  unto  men  to  exhorta- 
tion, edification,  and  comfort"  (1  Cor.  xiv :  3)  and  designat- 
ing how  women  ought  to  appear  before  the  people  in  the 
exercise  of  their  gifts  of  prophecy  and  prayer. 

No  lower  qualification  for  the  public  exposition  of  Divine 
truth  by  women  or  by  men,  has  a  right  to  be  claimed  now, 
than  was  authorized  in  the  early  Christian  church.  But 
under  that  same  Divine  authority  and  gift,  to  speak  a  Divine 
message  to  the  people  or  to  pray  in  public,  women  and  men 
have  the  same  duty  in  gospel  ministry  now  as  in  the  primitive 
church. 


INSTANCES  OF  WOMEN'S  PREACHING. 


3 


In  speaking  of  women  as  eo-laborers  with  the  ministry,  the 
Lutheran  Observer  recently  says:  "Although  the  cases  of 
women  communicating  the  truths  of  the  Gospel  are  isolated 
ones  of  an  extraordinary  character,  they  nevertheless  have  an 
important  bearing  in  showing  the  high  position  attained  by 
godly  women  and  the  revelations  communicated  through  them 
by  the  Spirit  of  God  to  his  Church." 

It  is  believed  that  the  instances  of  true  preaching  (which 
we  cannot  distinguish  from  the  prophetic  gift)  by  the  ministry 
of  women,  are,  as  the  writer  quoted  says,  "  isolated  ones,"  only 
because  an  artificial  system  of  ministry  has  made  them  isolated. 
A  mistaken  interpretation  of  Paul's  word  "speak,"  applied 
to  occasions  of  confusion  in  public  assemblies ;  together  with 
an  ignoring  of  the  true  ground  of  public  ministry,  namely, 
the  prophetic  or  inspired  gift,  wherein  he  does  allow  women's 
public  declarations  and  prayers ;  to  which  has  been  gradually 
added  a  degenerating  standard  of  ministry,  limiting  it  to  a 
clerical  profession,  a  human  lectureship  on  Divine  topics, — 
requiring  years  of  artificial  preparations  by  schools  and 
human  systems:  have  combined  to  rule  out  those  gifts  and 
callings  of  women  in  which  they  might  spiritually  apprehend 
and  publicly  declare  Divine  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  in  its  pure 
simplicity  and  the  freshness  of  his  own  anointing. 

We  should  expect  then  to  find  but  few  instances  of  women's 
gift  in  public  ministry  allowed  by  men,  or  by  their  own 
consciences  as  mistakenly  taught,  to  arise  into  public  view, 
so  as  to  become  matter  of  history.  Some  women  are  named 
in  the  apostolic  church  as  prophesying ;  some  as  co-laborers ; 
many  throughout  the  centuries,  as  we  may  recognize  by  traces 
shown  here  and  there  in  the  biographies  of  godly  women, 
have  had  the  gift,  but  it  was  generally  suppressed.  If  a 
settled  pastor  alone  could  preach  the  Word,  a  settled  pas- 
torate became  inconsistent  with  several  duties  of  maiden, 
wife  or  mother.  The  whole  mode  of  public  meetings  for 
worship  would  have  to  be  recast,  to  adapt  it  to  a  worship  in 
spirit  and  in  truth ;  that  worship  in  which  the  silent  or  vocal 
exercises  of  men  and  women  should  be  in  the  freshness  and 


4  INSTANCES  OF 

simplicity  of  Christ's  own  immediate  anointing  and  putting 
forth,  in  demonstration  of  the  spirit  and  of  power. 

Justin,  (about  a.  d.  138),  citing  the  prophecy  of  Joel, 
adduced  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  states,  "  We  may  still  see 
amongst  us  women  and  men  possessing  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit 
of  God.  *  *  *  The  prophetical  gifts  remain  with  us  even  to 
the  present  time." 

The  Montanists  (who  arose  about  A.  d.  160),  especially 
maintained  that  the  gift  of  prophecy  continued  to  be  bestowed 
upon  women.  From  this  sect  came  the  martyrs  Perpetua  and 
Felicitas,  who  yielded  up  their  lives  at  Carthage. 

The  Bishop  of  Rome  even  acknowledged  this  gift  to  have 
been  bestowed  upon  two  women  of  that  communion,  Priscilla 
and  Maximilla,  although  he  afterwards  excommunicated  the 
whole  party.  Woman  was  rapidly  losing  her  equal  place 
with  man,  the  main  body  denying  her  the  ministerial  office. 

Tertullian  (who  died  a.  d.  220),  launched  a  treatise  on 
baptism  against  the  followers  of  one  Quintilla,  a  woman  who 
preached  at  Carthage  a  little  before  his  time,  and  who  did 
not  consider  water  baptism  essential. 

We  may  turn  to  our  own  age  to  see  if  the  prophetic  promise 
is  verified,  that  under  the  Christian  dispensation,  notwith- 
standing the  repressive  influences  which  have  worked,  the 
gift  is  found  poured  out  upon  "  daughters"  and  "  handmaids." 
While  undeniable  instances  of  gifts  in  the  ministry  of  the 
Word  imparted  to  women  have  often  been  witnessed  by  the 
present  compilers,  we  are  at  liberty  to  mention  cases  only  of 
those  not  now  living.  Neither  can  we  pronounce  on  all  the 
cases  quoted  with  unmixed  approval.  It  is  enough  to  show 
that  traces  of  the  inspired  gift,  though  much  stifled,  have 
appeared  in  women,  which  the  professing  church  has  im- 
poverished itself  by  keeping  under  a  bushel. 

A  letter  from  an  aged  Friend,  says:  "That  Thomas  C. 
Upham's  wife  believed  she  had  a  gift  in  the  ministry,  which 
was  suppressed  by  her  fellow-members,  is  a  well-known  fact. 
She  was  at  times  intimately  associated  with  my  dear  wife,  to 


women's  preaching. 


5 


whom  she  freely  expressed  herself  to  the  effect  that  she  found 
no  liberty  for  the  exercise  of  her  gift." 

Catherine  of  Siena,  Italy  (1347-1380),  when  a  child,  showed 
she  was  called  of  God,  as  we  are  informed  in  her  biography 
by  Josephine  Butler,  (1885).  She  used  to  collect  around  her 
in  the  little  valley  an  assembly  of  little  girls  of  her  own  age, 
and  preach  to  them  with  wonderful  eloquence  and  power. 
She  is  said  to  have  craved  to  wear  the  order  of  St.  Dominic 
and  become  a  preacher.  She  told  her  family,  "  It  would  be 
easier  to  dissolve  a  rock  than  to  induce  me  to  change  my 
mind."  In  her  seasons  of  deep  proving  and  conflict,  when 
she  keenly  felt  her  weakness  and  frailty,  she  says  the  Lord 
said  to  her,  "  I  desire  thee  then  to  know  that  at  the  present 
time  the  pride  of  man  has  become  so  great — especially  in 
those  who  esteem  themselves  to  be  learned  and  wise — that  my 
justice  can  no  longer  bear  with  them."  "I  will  send  to  them 
women,  unlearned,  and  by  nature  fragile,  but  filled  by  my 
grace."  "  Thou  shalt  speak  of  me  to  the  lowly  and  to  the 
great,  to  the  multitude,  to  seculars,  to  priests  and  monks.  I 
will  impart  to  thee  speech  and  wisdom  which  none  can  resist ; 
thou  shalt  stand  before  kings  and  rulers  and  pontiffs  for  my 
name's  sake." 

"  When  she  entered  the  world,"  says  her  biographer,  "(after 
years  spent  in  prayer  and  fasting),  it  was  to  preach  to  in- 
furiated mobs,  to  toil  among  plague-stricken  men."  "She 
rebuked  the  evil  doers,  whether  princes,  cardinals,  or  the 
'Holy  Father'  [the  Pope],  himself,  with  the  severity  of  one 
who  has  a  commission  from  Heaven,  and  with  the  passionate 
pleading  and  tenderness  of  a  woman  whose  soul  is  filled  with 
Christian  love  and  pity  for  her  kind."  "  I  have  seen,"  says 
Raymond,  "thousands  of  men  and  women  hastening  to  her 
from  the  tops  of  the  mountains,  and  from  all  the  country 
around  Siena,  as  if  summoned  by  a  mysterious  trumpet."  One 
of  her  contemporaries  records  that  he  had  seen  her  address  a 
multitude  of  two  thousand  persons  in  the  streets,  beseeching 
them  for  the  love  of  Jesus  to  be  at  peace  with  each  other,  and 
to  search  each  one  his  own  heart  to  discover  there  any  lurking 


6 


INSTANCES  OF 


egotism,  and  give  up  any  selfish  demand  which  could  only 
be  gratified  at  the  expense  of  his  neighbor.  Those  who  could 
not  hear  her  voice  were  moved  even  to  tears  by  the  beaming 
charity  and  sweetness  of  her  countenance  while  she  spoke  and 
pleaded.  After  once  addressing  a  company  of  monks,  their 
prior  said,  "  If  this  saintly  lady  had  herself  heard  all  their 
confessions,  she  could  not  have  spoken  in  a  more  just  and 
suitable  manner."  "  It  is  evident  that  she  speaks  by  the 
inspiration  of  God."*  She  often  spoke  in  the  presence  of  the 
Pope  and  his  cardinals,  "And  there  reigned  so  great  an 
authority  and  so  marvellous  a  grace  in  her  lips,  that  all 
declared,  '  Never  man  spake  like  this  woman  ; '  and  many 
said,  'It  is  not  a  woman  who  speaks,  but  the  Holy  Spirit 
Himself.'  "f 

Catherine's  labors  were  so  great  that  Pope  Gregory  XI 
granted  to  her  three  companions,  invested  with  the  powers 
reserved  to  bishops,  to  accompany  and  aid  her  in  her  work. 

Butler,  in  his  "  Lives  of  the  Saints,"  records  of  Mary  of 
Oignies  that  on  several  occasions  she  showed  she  u  had  received 
from  God  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  and  was  endued  with  an 
eminent  gift  of  spiritual  knowledge  and  counsel." 

Marie  de  la  Mothe  Guyon,  a  pious  French  Catholic  (1648- 
1717)  presents  us  with  a  remarkable  instance  of  female  use- 
fulness in  the  church.  For  though  not  permitted  to  speak  in 
the  regular  assemblies  of  the  people,  yet  hundreds  flocked  to 
her  and  wondered  at  the  marvellous  manner  in  which  she 
opened  Divine  truths.  While  staying  at  Grenoble,  Lady 
Guyon  writes:  "  A  few  days  after  my  arrival,  there  came  to 
see  me  several  persons  who  made  profession  of  a  singular 
devotion  to  God.  I  perceived  immediately  a  gift  which  He 
had  given  me,  both  of  discerning  spirits  and  of  administering  to 
each  that  which  suited  their  states.  I  felt  myself  invested,  all 
on  a  sudden  with  the  apostolic  state,  and  discerned  the  con- 
ditions of  the  souls  of  such  persons  as  spoke  to  me,  and  that 
with  so  much  facility  that  they  were  surprised  at  it,  and  said 
one  to  another,  'that  I  gave  every  one  of  them  the  very 
thing  they  had  stood  in  need  of.'  It  wTas  thou,  Oh  my  God, 
who  didst  all  these  things!    Some  of  them  sent  others  to  me. 

*  Biography  of  Josephine  E.  Butler,  page  143. 
t  lb  id,  page  173. 


women's  preaching. 


7 


It  came  to  such  an  excess,  that  generally,  from  six  in  the 
morning  till  eight  in  the  evening,  I  was  taken  up  in  speaking 
of  God.  People  nocked  on  all  sides,  far  and  near — friars, 
priests,  men  of  the  world,  maids,  wives,  widows — all  came  one 
after  another ;  and  God  supplied  me  with  what  was  pertinent 
and  satisfactory  to  them  all,  after  a  wonderful  manner,  with- 
out any  share  of  my  study  or  meditation  therein.  Nothing 
was  hid  from  me  of  their  interior  state  and  of  what  passed 
within  them.  Here,  Oh  my  God,  thou  made  an  infinite 
number  of  conquests  known  to  thyself  only.  They  were 
instantly  furnished  with  a  wonderful  facility  of  prayer.  God 
conferred  on  them  his  grace  plentifully  and  wrought  marvellous 
changes  in  them.  The  most  advanced  of  these  souls  found, 
when  with  me,  in  silence,  a  grace  communicated  to  them 
which  they  could  neither  comprehend  nor  cease  to  admire. 
The  others  found  an  unction  in  my  words,  and  that  they 
operated  in  them  what  I  said  to  them.  They  said  they  had 
never  experienced  anything  like  it.  Friars  of  different  orders 
and  priests  of  merit  came  to  see  me,  to  whom  our  Lord 
granted  very  great  favors,  as  indeed  He  did  to  all,  without 
exception,  who  came  in  sincerity." 

"  One  thing  was  surprising,  which  was,  that  I  had  not  a 
syllable  to  say  to  such  as  came  only  to  watch  my  words  and 
to  criticise  on  them.  Even  when  I  thought  to  try  to  speak  to 
them  I  felt  that  I  could  not,  and  that  God  would  not  have  me 
do  it.  Some  of  them  in  return  said,  '  The  people  are  fools  to  go 
see  that  lady.  She  cannot  speak.'  Others  of  them  treated 
me  as  if  I  were  only  a  stupid  simpleton.  After  they  left  me 
there  came  one  and  said,  '  I  could  not  get  hither  soon  enough 
to  apprise  you  not  to  speak  to  those  persons ;  they  came  from 
such  and  such,  to  try  what  they  can  catch  from  you  to  your 
disadvantage.'  I  answered  them,  'Our  Lord  has  prevented 
your  charity ;  for  I  was  not  able  to  say  one  word  to  them.' 

"  I  felt  that  what  I  spoke  flowed  from  the  fountain,  and  that 
I  wTas  only  the  instrument  of  Him  who  made  me  speak."* 

In  another  place  she  says :  "  The  Lord  gave  me  at  the 
time  I  spoke  to  them,  without  any  study  or  reflection  of  mine, 
all  that  was  necessary  for  them."j  • 

Leila  Ada,  a  young  English  Jewess,  who  embraced  the 
*  Biography,  page  343,  f  Ibid,  page  344. 


8 


INSTANCES  OF 


Christian  religion  about  1848,  was  told  by  her  uncle,  "I  will 
not  have  Jesus  of  Nazareth  preached  in  my  house."  But  her 
conversation  and  beautiful  daily  life  so  influenced  his  son,  her 
cousin,  that  he  too  soon  became,  as  they  termed  it,  "  infected 
with  her  blasphemous  opinions."* 

Surely  all  will  grant  to  woman  this  sphere  in  Christ's 
church,  but  wherein  is  there  any  essential  difference  between 
preaching  to  the  few  or  to  the  many  ? 

When  she  visited  her  "  dear  old  women  "  for  the  last  time 
and  prayed  with  them,  a  witness  said,  "  A  hallowed  influence 
pervaded  *  *  *  a  solemn  holy  awe  such  as  is  seldom 
experienced  in  time."  Can  it  be  said  that  she  was  then  devoid 
of  the  true  gift  of  ministry  ? 

When  summoned  before  the  Rabbis  to  give  a  reason  for  the 
hope  that  was  in  her — "It  was  her  conviction  that  her  tongue 
was  directed  and  influenced  by  the  spirit  of  God ;  for  the 
language  was  not  her  own,  and  appeared  to  flow  without  toil 
or  effort." 

Martha  More,  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  in  a 
letter  to  her  well-known  sister,  Hannah  More,  written  in  the 
year  1795,  in  speaking  of  a  funeral  which  she  attended, 
remarks :  "  Never,  never  had  I  such  difficulty  to  restrain  my 
tongue  as  at  the  moment  the  last  office  was  performed.  The 
people!  the  children!  the  solemnity  of  the  whole!  the  spirit 
within  seemed  struggling  to  speak,  and  I  was  in  a  sort  of  agony, 
but  I  recollected  that  I  had  heard  somewhere  a  woman  must 
not  speak  in  the  church.  Oh  !  had  she  been  interred  in  a 
churchyard,  a  messenger  from  Mr.  Pitt  should  not  have 
restrained  me,  for  I  seemed  to  have  received  a  message  from  a 
higher  master  within." 

Hannah  More  also  testifies  of  her  sister  Martha's  impressive 
labors  before  large  and  attentive  audiences  of  the  poor  and  of 
children,  adding,  "she  greatly  eclipses  me.  Lord,  be  thou  her 
exceeding  great  reward." 

In  the  Life  of  Mary  Fletcher,  who  was  the  wife  of  John 
Fletcher,  a  Methodist  minister  contemporary  with  John  Wesley, 
it  is  mentioned  that  she  was  permitted  to  exercise  a  gift  in  the 
ministry.  Her  preaching, .it  is  stated,  was  but  an  enlargement 
of  her  daily  and  hourly  conversation  ;  and  that  her  family  and 
*  Life  of  Leila  Ada,  page  188. 


WOMEN'S  PREACHING. 


9 


visitors  might  be  said  to  be  her  constant  congregation.  Her 
conflicts  were  very  great.  Concerning  her  call  in  that  respect, 
the  taunts  which  she  had  to  endure  from  men  were  very  pain- 
ful. She  acknowledges  she  had  to  be  emptied  of  self  before  she 
was  filled  with  the  spirit  and  power  of  the  Lord,  so  as  to  wit- 
ness a  baptizing  effect  to  attend  her  ministry. 

When  Mary  Fletcher  told  John  Wesley  that  she  would 
desist  preaching  if  he  ordered  her  to.  he  did  not  rebuke  her. 
Did  he  not  remember  that  when  his  father  was  absent  from  his 
parish  for  some  months,  his  own  mother,  Susanna  Wesley, 
gathered  her  family  together  for  religious  services !  The 
neighbors  hearing  of  it  wanted  to  attend,  and  her  company 
increased  until  at  her  weekly  meetings  as  many  as  two  hun- 
dred would  come,  many  more  turning  away  unable  to  get  into 
the  house.  u  There  was  in  fact  a  great  and  blessed  revival, 
and  the  results  were  extensive  and  striking."* 

That  eminently  useful  woman,  Selina,  the  Countess  of  Hun. 
tingdon  1 1707  to  1791),  was  by  education  taught  that  to  the 
men  belonged  the  duties  of  preaching,  and  she  took  them  with 
her  for  that  purpose  in  her  extensive  journeys  for  the  church. 
It  is.  however,  by  no  means  clear  that  her  own  voice  was  not 
often  heard.  Only  occasionally  can  we  lift  the  veil  her  biog- 
raphers appear  to  have  thrown  over  the  part  she  individually 
took  in  the  exercises.  For  instance,  it  is  recorded  that  wher- 
ever she  went  she  produced  an  extraordinary  degree  of  atten- 
tion to  religious  subjects.  "  The  inexpressible  concern  which 
her  ladyship  felt  for  the  enlargement  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
and  the  salvation  of  immortal  souls  induced  her  to  speak  con- 
cerning Divine  things  in  many  companies." 

She  "  was  constrained  to  warn  the  ignorant,  the  careless,  and 
the  abandoned,  that  the  wrath  of  God  is  revealed  from  Heaven 
against  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of  men." 

"  She  endeavored  to  open  to  the  view  of  her  attentive  listen- 
ers the  fulness,  all-sufficiency,  and  freedom  of  that  redemption 
which  the  Son  of  God  has  wrought  out  by  his  obedience  and 
sufferings/'  Again  she  says  :  ,;  Much  of  my  time  is  taken  up 
in  bringing  souls  to  seek  after  the  Lord.  I  have  some  diffi- 
culty in  keeping  them  from  clinging  to  me — such  wondrous 
love  they  bear  me." 

*  Lii  e  of  .Susanna  Wesley  ,  page  301. 


10 


INSTANCES  OF 


In  another  instance,  where  she  visited  a  poor  sick  woman 
whose  apartment  was  contiguous  to  a  public  bake-house,  the 
people  that  came  to  the  oven,  through  a  crack  in  the  partition 
overheard  her  conversing  on  spiritual  subjects.  It  becoming 
noised  abroad,  other  poor  women  attended,  and  at  appointed 
times  she  joyfully  proclaimed  to  them  the  unsearchable  riches 
of  Christ.  "  Her  subject,  her  language,  her  gestures,  the  tone 
of  her  voice  and  the  turn  of  her  countenance,  all  conspired  to 
fix  the  attention  and  affect  the  heart." 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  a  man  notorious  for  his  profligacy 
gained  admittance,  though  none  but  women  had  previously 
attended.  Overcoming  the  hesitation  she  at  first  felt,  she  pro- 
ceeded in  her  usual  manner  as  "  she  considered  was  the  path 
of  duty."  The  witness  for  truth  was  reached  in  this  man  and 
he  became  a  Christian,  so  that  all  who  knew  him  acknowledged 
the  marvellous  change. 

She  visited  "  the  prisons,  the  house  of  pestilence  and  the 
chambers  of  mortal  disease,  wherever  the  voice  of  misery  invited 
her,  bearing  with  her  the  mercy  of  the  Gospel  to  souls  on  the 
very  brink  of  eternity." 

Again,  on  going  into  Cornwall,  she  says,  "  My  call  here  is 
to  the  tinners,  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  poor  perish- 
ing creatures  whom  all  seem  to  neglect ;  their  souls  are  the 
object  of  my  loving  care." 

Again,  "  But  all  my  crosses  and  losses  I  count  as  nothing, 
so  that  I  may  be  the  poor  yet  honored  instrument  of  commu- 
nicating the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ  to  perishing  sinners. 
And  '  unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints '  has 
this  grace,  this  singular  honor,  been  conferred  for  more  than 
forty  years." 

In  Christian  Eddy,  of  Cornwall,  Eng.  (about  1815  to  1872), 
we  have  a  beautiful  instance  of  a  woman  endeavoring  to  exer- 
cise this  gift  despite  the  restrictions  upon  her  sex.  "  The  kitchen, 
the  nursery,  the  parlor,  the  shop,  the  street,  the  cliff,  the  hos- 
pital, the  workhouse,  the  public  house,  were  all  the  scenes  of 
her  labor.  '  Fancy,'  says  her  biographer,  '  preaching  in 
public  houses !  But  she  did  it ;  or  if  she  did  not  preach,  she 
went  in  and  out  every  Sunday  [First-day]  evening,  with  a  word 
here  and  a  look  there  for  her  Saviour.'  Said  a  man  of  science, 
'  I  never  thought  of  these  things  before.'    And  he  turned  to 


WO  M  EN'S  PR  E  A  C II I N  G . 


11 


learn  from  a  woman's  lips,  bv  the  wayside,  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus." 

A  colored  woman,  known  by  the  name  of  "  Old  Elizabeth," 
who  died  in  this  city  in  1866,  aged  nearly  101  years,  had 
reached  her  42nd  year  when  she  felt  a  necessity  laid  upon  her 
to  preach  the  Divine  messages  given  to  her.  And  such  power 
accompanied  her  faithfulness  in  this  calling,  that  many  were 
turned  to  righteousness,  and  much  bitter  opposition  was  over- 
come. "  As  for  myself,"  she  says,  after  one  of  these  triumphs 
of  Divine  grace,  when  the  power  of  darkness  had  been  brought 
down  through  her  ministry ;  "  I  was  so  full  I  hardly  knew 
whether  I  was  in  the  body  or  out  of  the  body,  so  great  was  my 
joy  for  the  victory  on  the  Lord's  side." 

In  her  memoir  of  Geraldine  Dening,  entitled  "  She  spake  of 
Him,"  the  wife  of  Grattan  Guiness  testifies  by  an  abundance 
of  remarkable  instances,  that  her  friend  "  had  a  strong  inward 
vocation  for  the  work,  extraordinary  capacity  and  gifts  for  it ; 
she  had  unmistakable  providential  guidance,  and  unusually 
large  openings  for  her  efforts.  *  *  *  It  were  little  short 
of  blasphemy  to  assert  that  a  succession  of  cases  of  conversion 
such  as  is  here  recorded,  could  occur  as  the  result  of  a  career 
of  error." 

Dorothea  Trudel,  of  Mannedorf,  Switzerland  (1814-1862), 
had  her  meeting-house  and  her  meetings,  where  she  spoke  to 
the  people.  The  account  of  her  says,  "  Any  one  who  looked 
at  her  as  she  spoke  so  earnestly  and  zealously  must  have  won- 
dered at  the  love  which  beamed  forth  from  her  countenance." 
It  says  further,  "  There  is  no  denying  that  Dorothea  Trudel 
has  been  the  means  of  quickening  many  Christian  people  ,  that 
her  personal  ministry  has  been  the  greatest  blessing  to  the 
neighborhood."  "  Many  were  delivered  from  the  power  of 
darkness." 

The  memoir  of  Hester  Ann  Rogers  gives  abundant  evidence 
of  her  remarkable  gifts  as  a  minister,  though  not  exercised 
before  large  audiences.  .  Her  husband  testifies  that  "The 
Divine  unction  attending  her  prayer  *  *  was  very  extra- 
ordinary and  generally  felt  by  all  present.  A  conviction  from 
God,  that  she  ought  to  use  this  talent,  constrained  her  even  to 
hold  meetings  in  her  neighbors'  houses  for  the  purpose  of  pray- 


12 


INSTANCES  OF 


ing  with  the  distressed  in  soul,  and  with  as  many  more  as  chose 
to  attend." 

Elizabeth  Stirredge,  of  Gloucestershire  (1634-1706),  was 
the  daughter  of  an  honest,  zealous,  God-fearing  Puritan,  con- 
cerning whom  she  says :  "  My  father  being  one  of  those  called 
Puritans,  prophesied  of  Friends  many  years  before  they  came. 
He  said  :  '  There  is  a  day  coming  wherein  truth  will  gloriously 
break  forth,  more  gloriously  than  ever  since  the  Apostle's  days, 
but  I  shall  not  live  to  see  it.'  He  died  in  the  faith  of  it  seven 
years  before  Friends  came ;  whose  honest  and  chaste  life  is 
often  in  my  remembrance,  and  his  fervent  and  zealous  prayers 
amongst  his  family  are  not  forgotten  by  me."  In  the  year 
1670,  at  a  time  of  great  suffering  amongst  Friends,  because  of 
the  prevailing  persecutions,  Elizabeth  Stirredge  feeling  a  draw- 
ing to  the  ministry,  makes  a  record  :  "  Thus  the  Lord  gently 
led  me  towards  the  service  and  testimony  that  He  was  pleased 
to  lay  upon  me  to  bear ;  which  was  the  greatest  trial  that  I 
ever  met  with.  My  exercise  increased,  my  inward  pains  grew 
stronger  and  stronger,  my  heart  was  troubled  within  me,  my 
eyes  were  as  a  fountain  of  tears,  and  I  cried  out,  '  Woe  is  me 
that  ever  I  was  born.  Lord,  look  thou  upon  my  afflictions,  and 
lay  no  more  upon  me  than  I  am  able  to  bear.  They  will  not 
hear  me  who  am  a  contemptible  instrument.  And  seeing  they 
despise  the  service  of  women  so  much,  make  use  of  them  that 
are  more  worthy.'  The  answer  I  received  was,  '  They  shall 
be  made  worthy  that  dwell  in  my  fear.'  "  And  further  on  she 
adds  :  "  I  can  say  to  his  praise,  I  was  so  encouraged  in  all  times 
of  persecution,  wherein  I  might  bear  my  testimony  for  the 
Lord  who  had  redeemed  me  out  of  the  pit  of  misery,  that  I 
rejoiced  to  do  the  will  of  the  Lord,  for  it  was  more  to  me  than 
all  that  ever  my  eyes  beheld,  and  to  stand  a  faithful  witness  for 
Him." 

Susanna  Hatton  (afterward  Lightfoot),  an  account  of  whom 
is  given  in  the  Journal  of  James  Gough,  of  Ireland,  was  a  min- 
ister of  excellent  repute  in  the  Society  of  Friends.  The  nar- 
rative opens  about  1737,  when  S.  H.  at  the  age  of  eighteen  came 
to  this  country  as  a  domestic  in  the  service  of  Ruth  Courtney  a 
minister.  Young  in  years  as  she  was,  she  began  thus  early  to 
speak  in  meetings.  Returning  in  the  course  of  a  few  months 
to  Ireland,  James  Gough  says  of  her :  "  I  was  very  much 


women's  preaching. 


13 


affected  with  her  inwardness,  fervency  and  tenderness  of  spirit 
out  of  meetings,  as  well  as  her  awful  [i.  e.,  solemn  and  power- 
ful] utterances  in  meetings."  At  about  twenty-three  years  of 
age  she  married  a  linen-draper  and  lived  in  a  very  humble  way, 
her  husband  keeping  two  looms  going,  and  she  keeping  two 
cows  and  carefully  bringing  up  her  family,  Her  life  was  one 
of  simple  faith,  und  though  at  times  her  outward  condition 
was  such  that  she  had  not  a  morsel  of  food  for  herself  and 
family,  yet  when  reduced  to  such  extremities,  and  without 
making  her  case  known,  sudden  relief  would  come  in  from  one 
quarter  or  another.  When  settled  in  the  province  of  Ulster, 
her  narrator,  himself  a  true  minister,  testified  concerning  the 
religious  services  of  this  humble  and  devout  handmaiden  of  the 
Lord  :  "  Not  one  in  those  large  meetings  rose  up  with  that 
Divine  authority  and  dignity  that  she  did."  Removing  to 
Waterford,  and  going  soon  afterward  upon  a  religious  visit  to 
Carlow,  Mountmelick,  etc.,  the  following  incident  occurred  as 
told  by  J.  Gough  :  "  A  Friend  put  four  guineas  into  my  hand 
and  desired  me  to  present  her  with  them,  which  I  did  ;  but  she 
refused  to  accept  them,  telling  me  she  had  others  offered  before 
in  that  journey,  but  durst  not  receive  them,  being  under  no 
present  necessity."  Her  confidence  that  the  Lord  would  pro- 
vide everything  needful  was  not  misplaced.  As  her  children 
grewr  up  they  found  friends  ready  to  aid  them  to  good  positions  ; 
her  own  circumstances  improved,  and,  her  husband  dying,  she 
afterwards  married  an  exemplary  Friend  from  America,  with 
whom  she  returned  to  this  country,  and  settled  in  Chester 
County  near  Philadelphia. 

Mary  Dudley,  of  Bristol,  England  (1750-1810),  was  a 
Methodist,  held  in  much  esteem  by  John  Wesley  and  others, 
in  that  connection.  She  was  frequently  urged  to  serve  as  a 
class-leader,  but  becoming  sensible  that  it  was  her  religious 
duty  to  profess  with  Friends,  she  united  with  them  in  1773, 
and  was  recommended  as  a  minister  four  years  later.  She, 
however,  at  first  put  aside  the  intimations  of  the  holy  com- 
mand publicly  to  declare  the  counsel  of  God,  until  the  suffer- 
ings she  endured  by  her  disobedience  became  great.  (Let  it  be 
remembered  that  in  this  and  the  other  instances  cited,  there  was 
no  priest,  committee,  or  other  human  intermediary  required  to  be 
consulted.    The  eyes  of  these  women  were  to  the  Minister  of 


14 


INSTANCES  OF 


ministers  alone,  who  hath  the  key  of  David,  and  "  openeth,  and 
no  man  shutteth;  and  shutteth,  and  no  man  openeth.")  Upon 
yielding  finally,  she  says :  "  Oh !  the  rest  I  again  felt,  the 
precious  holy  quiet !  unequal  in  degree  to  what  was  my  first 
portion  but  as  though  I  was  altogether  a  changed  creature,  so 
that  to  me  there  was  no  condemnation.  Here  was  indeed  a 
recompense  even  for  years  of  suffering,  but  with  this  alloy,  that 
I  had  long  deprived  myself  of  the  precious  privilege  by  yield- 
ing to  those  reasonings  which  held  me  in  a  state  of  painful 
captivity." 

Of  the  same  period,  a  true  mother  in  Israel,  was  Mary  Cap- 
per (1755-1845),  who  was  brought  up  in  the  established 
Church  of  England,  having  a  brother  who  was  a  clergyman 
therein.  Having  united  in  membership  with  Friends,  she  was 
recommended  as  a  minister  at  about  the  age  of  forty  years.  In 
relation  to  the  beginning  of  her  ministry,  which  was  at  Lon- 
don, she  says :  "  I  have  no  distinct  recollection  as  to  any  serious 
thoughts  of  speaking  in  a  religious  meeting;  it  sometimes  arose 
to  my  view  that  possibly  I  might  have  to  tell  unto  others  how 
I  had  been  taught,  and  kept  from  the  broad  way  of  destruc- 
tion, but  a  few  words  arising  in  my  mind  with  something  of 
unusual  power,  I  think  at  the  Peel  Meeting,  I  stood  up  and 
spoke  them,  and  was  very  quiet,  nor  did  I  anticipate  or  fore- 
see that  such  a  thing  might  ever  be  again.  And  thus  was  I 
led  on  from  time  to  time,  not  knowing  but  each  time  might 
be  the  last."  At  eighty  her  language  of  encouragement  to 
another  was :  "  Everlasting  mercy  and  help  is  on  the  side  of 
the  humble  and  devoted,  though  they  may  have  to  pass  through 
many  tribulations,"  and,  as  her  spirit  peacefully  passed  away, 
at  ninety :  "  Oh !  how  beautiful !  to  go  to  a  mansion  prepared 
for  us  !"  She  was  a  devout,  childlike,  divinely-anointed  min- 
ister of  the  Lord  fifty  and  five  years. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  characters  in  modern  Quaker 
annals  is  Stephen  Grellet,  formerly  a  French  Romanist  (1773- 
1855),  who,  after  becoming  an  infidel,  if  not  an  atheist,  came 
to  this  country  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution  in  France,  and 
took  up  his  abode  on  Long  Island.  There  his  views,  through 
the  providence  of  God,  underwent  a  radical  change.  Being 
in  a  tender,  seeking  state,  he  attended  a  meeting  of  Friends  at 
which  two  women  ministers  from  England,  Deborah  Darby  and 


women's  preaching. 


15 


Rebecca  Young,  were  present.  "  After  the  meeting,"  lie  says, 
in  his  personal  narrative,  "  my  brother  and  myself  were  invited 
to  dine  in  the  company  of  these  Friends,  at  Col.  Corsa's. 
There  was  a  religious  opportunity  after  dinner,  in  which  sev- 
eral communications  were  made.  I  could  hardly  understand 
a  word  of  what  was  said,  but  as  Deborah  Darby  began  to 
address  my  brother  and  myself,  it  seemed  as  if  the  Lord  opened 
my  outward  ear  and  my  heart.  Her  words  partook  of  the 
efficacy  of  that  ' word '  which  is  '  quick  and  powerful,  and 
sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the  dividing 
asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and 
is  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart.'  She 
seemed  like  one  reading  the  pages  of  my  heart,  with  clearness 
describing  how  it  had  been,  and  how  it  was  with  me.  I  was 
like  Lydia ;  my  heart  vras  opened ;  I  felt  the  power  of  Him 
who  hath  the  key  of  David,  no  strength  to  withstand  the 
Divine  visitation  was  left  in  me.  Owhat  sweetness  did  I  then 
feel!  It  was  indeed  a  memorable  day.  I  was  like  one  intro- 
duced into  a  new  world ;  the  creation,  and  all  things  around 
me,  wore  a  different  aspect — my  heart  glowed  with  love  to  all. 
The  awfulness  of  that  day  of  God's  visitation  can  never  cease 
to  be  remembered  with  peculiar  interest  and  gratitude,  as  long 
as  I  have  the  use  of  my  mental  faculties.  I  have  been  as  one 
plucked  from  the  burning — rescued  from  the  brink  of  a  horri- 
ble pit.  O,  how  can  the  extent  of  the  Lord's  love,  mercy,  pity, 
and  tender  compassion  be  fathomed !"  All  this  Stephen  Grel- 
let  says  for  himself :  only  the  revelations  of  the  last  day  may 
show  the  blessed  results  to  others,  both  of  high  and  low  degree, 
which  followed  his  religious  labors  and  travels  in  Gospel  ser- 
vice in  this  and  other  lands.  Can  any  aver  that  Deborah 
Darby  stood  not  in  her  appointed  place,  in  the  Lord's  ordering, 
when  she  delivered  that  searching,  soul-reaching  after-dinner 
discourse  at  the  house  of  Col.  Corsa  ? 

As  Arthur  Howell  was  passing  through  the  market-house 
one  day,  he  saw  a  woman  Friend  standing  with  her  back 
toward  him.  He  did  not  know  her,  but  under  a  sense  of  duty 
he  came  to  her,  and,  placing  a  hand  on  each  arm,  said,  "What 
art  thou  doing,  standing  with  thy  arms  akimbo  in  the  market? 
Go  and  preach  the  Gospel !"  This  woman  had  long  felt  an 
impression  of  duty  to  appear  in  the  ministry,  but  she  would 


16 


INSTANCES  OF  WOMEN'S  PREACHING. 


not  submit  to  the  call  of  her  Divine  Master.  Depression  of 
mind  followed,  and  still  she  refused  obedience.  The  warning 
given  her  by  Arthur  Howell  was  suffered  to  pass  unimproved. 
After  many  loud  calls  and  invitations  her  mind  became  agi- 
tated, unsettled,  and  at  last  insane.  She  was  deranged  many 
years ;  and  this  arose,  according  to  her  own  confession,  from 
her  want  of  submitting  to  the  Divine  command* 

The  mere  gift  of  speaking  well  on  moral  subjects,  even  of 
"  speaking  directly  to  the  point,"  will  not  suffice  to  constitute 
a  woman,  any  more  than  it  will  a  man  a  rightly  qualified 
minister  of  the  everlasting  Gospel.  With  the  lengthening  of 
the  cords,  and  the  setting  forward  of  the  stakes,  which  now 
seem  imminent,  how  important  the  recognition  of  the  Scrip- 
ture standard  concerning  the  true  call  to  acceptable  service  in 
this  direction — that  it  needs  to  be  altogether  of  God,  his  con- 
straining, putting  forth,  drawing,  and  guiding,  and  not  of  man 
and  his  willing. 

Now,  there  have  been  hundreds  of  women  since  the  rise  of 
the  Society  of  Friends,  who  have  felt  the  burden  of  that  inward 
unescapable  requirement,  "  Woe  is  me  if  I  preach  not  the  Gos- 
pel !"  Very  faithfully,  though  with  shrinking  at  their  unwor- 
thiness  and  insufficiency,  have  they  nevertheless  obeyed  the 
mandate  of  their  Lord,  "  Preach  the  preaching  that  I  bid 
thee."  The  good  savor,  and  often  the  rich  blessing  which  have 
attended  the  public  ministrations  of  these  handmaidens,  have 
been  attested  in  thousands  of  instances,  and  they  themselves 
have  testified,  with  bowedness  of  spirit,  yet  with  rejoicing  lips, 
that  their  God  is  very  pitiful,  and  a  rich  rewarder  of  all  that 
put  their  trust  in  Him.  Thus  have  they  stood  as  witnesses  to 
the  truth  of  the  asseveration  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  in  reaffirm- 
ing the  words  of  Joel,  which  the  Lord  commanded  him  to 
speak :  "  on  My  servants  and  on  My  handmaidens  I  will  pour 
out  in  those  days  of  My  Spirit;  and  they  shall  prophesy." 


*  Biographical  Sketches  and  Anecdotes  of  Friends,  page  231. 


No.  172. 


SHORT  ACCOUNT 

OF 

Springett  Penk 

WRITTEN  BY  HIS  FATHER,  WILLIAM  PENN. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 

1889. 


A  SHORT  ACCOUNT 

OF  v 

SPRINGETT  PENN. 


My  very  dear  child,  and  eldest  son,  Springett  Penn, 
did  from  his  childhood  manifest  a  disposition  to  good- 
ness, and  gave  me  hope  of  a  more  than  ordinary  capac- 
ity; and  time  satisfied  me  in  both  respects.  For, 
besides  a  good  share  of  learning  and  mathematical 
knowledge-,  he  showed  a  judgment  in  the  use  and 
application  of  it  much  above  his  years.  He  had  the 
seeds  of  many  good  qualities  rising  in  him,  that  made 
him  beloved  and  consequently  lamented :  but  especially 
his  humility,  plainness,  and  truth,  with  a  tenderness  and 
softness  of  nature,  which  if  I  may  say  it,  were  an  im- 
provement upon  his  other  good  qualities.  But,  though 
these  were  no  security  against  sickness  and  death,  yet 
they  went  a  good  way  to  facilitate  a  due  preparation 
for  them.  And  indeed  the  good  ground  that  was  in 
him  showed  itself  very  plainly  some  time  before  his 
illness.  For  more  than  half  a  year  before  it  pleased 
the  Lord  to  visit  him  with  weakness,  he  grew  more 
retired,  and  much  disengaged  from  youthful  delights, 
showing  a  remarkable  tenderness  in  meetings,  even 
when  they  were  silent;  but  when  he  saw  himself 
doubtful  as  to  his  recovery,  he  turned  his  mind  and 
meditations  more  apparently  towards  the  Lord  secretly, 
as  also,  when  his  attendants  were  in  the  room,  praying 
often  with  great  fervency  to  Him,  and  uttering  very 


A  SHORT  ACCOUNT  OF  SPRIXGETT  PENN. 


3 


many  thankful  expressions  and  praises  to  Him,  in  a 
very  deep  and  sensible  manner.  One  day  he  said  to 
us,  "  I  am  resigned  to  what  God  pleaseth.  He  knows 
what  is  best.  I  would  live,  if  it  pleased  Him,  that  I 
might  serve  Him ;  but,  0  Lord,  not  my  will,  but  thine 
be  done !" 

A  person  speaking  to  him  of  the  things  of  this  world, 
and  what  might  please  him  when  recovered,  he  answer- 
ed, "  My  eyes  look  another  way,  where  the  truest  pleas- 
ure is."  When  he  told  me  he  had  rested  well,  and  I 
said  it  was  a  mercy  to  him,  he  quickly  replied  upon  me 
with  a  serious,  yet  sweet  look,  "  All  is  mercy  dear 
father;  every  thing  is  mercy."  Another  time,  when  I 
went  to  meeting,  at  parting  he  said,  "  Remember  me 
my  dear  father,  before  the  Lord.  Though  I  cannot  go 
to  meetings,  yet  I  have  many  good  meetings.  The  Lord 
comes  in  upon  my  spirit.  I  have  heavenly  meetings 
with  Him  by  myself." 

Xot  many  days  before  he  died,  the  Lord  appearing 
by  his  holy  power  upon  his  spirit,  when  alone,  at  my 
return,  asking  him  how  he  did,  he  told  me,  "  Oh,  I 
have  had  a  sweet  time,  a  blessed  time  !  great  enjoy- 
ments! The  power  of  the  Lord  overcame  my  soul;  a 
sweet  time  indeed !" 

And  telling  him  how  some  of  the  gentry,  who  had 
been  to  visit  him,  were  gone  to  their  games,  and  sports, 
and  pleasures,  and  how  little  consideration  the  children 
of  men  had  of  God  and  their  latter  end,  and  how  much 
happier  he  was  in  this  weakness  to  have  been  otherwise 
educated  and  preserved  from  those  temptations  to 
vanity,  he  answered,  "  It  is  all  stuff,  my  dear  father ; 
it  is  sad  stuff.  Oh  that  I  might  live  to  tell  them,  so !" 
— "Well,  my  dear  child,"  I  replied,  "let  this  be  the 
time  of  thy  entering  into  secret  covenant  with  God, 
that  if  He  raise  thee,  thou  wilt  dedicate  thy  youth, 


4 


A  SHORT  ACCOUNT  OF 


strength,  and  life  to  Him  and  his  people  and  service." 
He  returned,  "  Father,  that  is  not  now  to  do,  it  is  not 
now  to  do,"  with  great  tenderness  upon  his  spirit. 

Being  ever  almost  near  him,  and  doing  any  thing  for 
him  he  wanted  or  desired,  he  broke  out  with  much 
sense  and  love,  "  My  dear  father,  if  I  live,  I  will  make 
thee  amends :"  and  speaking  to  him  of  Divine  enjoy- 
ments, that  the  eye  of  man  saw  not,  but  the  soul  made 
alive  by  the  Spirit  of  Christ  plainly  felt,  he  in  a  lively 
remembrance,  cried  out,  "  Oh,  I  had  a  sweet  time 
yesterday  by  myself!  The  Lord  hath  preserved  me  to 
this  day.  Blessed  be  his  name  !  My  soul  praises  Him 
for  his  mercy.  Oh,  father,  it  is  of  the  goodness  of  the 
Lord  that  I  am  so  well  as  I  am."  Fixing  his  eyes  upon 
his  sister,  he  took  her  by  the  hand,  saying,  "  Poor  Tishe 
look  to  good  things !  Poor  child,  there  is  no  comfort 
without  it !  One  drop  of  the  love  of  God  is  worth  more 
than  all  the  world.  I  know  it,  I  have  tasted  it.  I  have 
felt  as  much  or  more  of  the  love  of  God  in  this  weak- 
ness than  in  all  my  life  before."  At  another  time,  as  I 
stood  by  him  he  looked  up  upon  me  and  said,  "  Dear 
father,  sit  by  me !  I  love  thy  company,  and  I  know 
thou  lovest  mine  ;  and  if  it  be  the  Lord's  will  that  we 
must  part,  be  not  troubled,  for  that  will  trouble  me." 

Taking  something  one  night  in  bed,  just  before  his 
going  to  rest,  he  sat  up  and  fervently  prayed  thus :  "0 
Lord  God !  Thou  whose  Son  said  to  his  disciples,  what- 
ever ye  ask  in  my  name  ye  shall  receive,  I  pray  thee 
in  his  name  bless  this  to  me  this  night,  and  give  me 
rest,  if  it  be  thy  blessed  will !"  And  accordingly  he 
had  a  very  comfortable  night,  of  which  he  took  a  thank- 
ful notice  before  us  the  next  day. 

And  when  he  at  one  time  more  than  ordinarily  ex- 
pressed a  desire  to  live,  and  entreated  me  to  pray  for 
him,  he  added,  "And  dear  father,  if  the  Lord  should 


SPRIXGETT  PEXX. 


5 


raise  me  and  enable  me  to  serve  Him  and  his  people, 
then  I  might  travel  with  thee  sometimes,  and  we  might 
ease  one  another/'  (meaning  the  ministry.)  He  spoke 
this  with  great  modesty;  upon  which  I  said  to  him, 
"  My  dear  child,  if  it  please  the  Lord  to  raise  thee,  I 
am  satisfied  it  will  be  so,  and  if  not,  then,  inasmuch  as 
it  is  thy  fervent  desire  in  the  Lord,  he  will  look  upon 
thee  just  as  if  thou  didst  live  to  serve  Him,  and  thy 
comfort  will  be  the  same.  So  either  way  it  will  be 
well;  for,  if  thou  shouldst  not  live,  I  do  verily  believe 
thou  wilt  have  the  recompense  of  thy  good  desires, 
without  the  temptations  and  troubles  that  would  attend 
if  long  life  were  granted  to  thee." 

Saying  one  day  thus,  "  I  am  resolved  I  will  have 
such  a  thing  done,"  he  immediately  corrected  himself, 
and  fell  into  this  reflection  with  much  contrition,  "Did 
I  say,  I  will  ?  0  Lord,  forgive  me  that  irreverent  and 
hasty  expression  !  I  am  a  poor,  weak  creature,  and 
live  by  Thee,  and  therefore  I  should  have  said,  if  it 
pleaseth  Thee  that  I  live,  I  intend  to  do  so.  Lord,  for- 
give my  rash  expression  !" 

Seeing  my  present  wife  ready  to  be  helpful  and  to 
do  any  thing  for  him,  he  turned  to  her  and  said,  "  Do 
not  thou  do  so.  Let  them  do  it.  Don't  trouble  thy- 
self so  much  for  such  a  poor  creature  as  I  am."  And 
taking  leave  of  him  a  few  nights  before  his  end,  he 
said  to  her,  "  pray  for  me,  dear  mother !  Thou  art 
good  and  innocent.  It  may  be  the  Lord  may  hear  thy 
prayers  for  me ;  for  I  desire  my  strength  again,  that  I 
may  live  and  employ  it  more  in  his  service." 

Two  or  three  days  before  his  departure,  he  called  his 
brother  to  him,  and  looking  awfully  upon  him  said, 
"  Be  a  good  boy,  and  know  that  there  is  a  God,  a  great 
and  mighty  God,  who  is  a  rewarder  of  the  righteous, 
and  so  he  is  of  the  wicked,  but  their  rewards  are  not 


6 


A  SHORT  ACCOUNT  OF 


the  same.  Have  a  care  of  idle  people  and  idle  company, 
and  love  good  company  and  good  Friends,  and  the  Lord 
will  bless  thee.  I  have  seen  good  things  for  thee  since 
my  sickness,  if  thou  dost  but  fear  the  Lord ;  and  if  I 
should  not  live,  (though  the  Lord  is  all-sufficient,)  re- 
member what  I  say  to  thee,  when  I  am  dead  and  gone. 
Poor  child,  the  Lord  bless  thee  !  Come  and  kiss  me!" 
which  melted  us  all  into  great  tenderness,  but  his 
brother  more  particularly. 

Many  good  exhortations  he  gave  to  some  of  the  ser- 
vants and  others  that  came  to  see  him,  who  were  not  of 
our  communion,  as  well  as  to  those  who  were,  which 
drew  tears  from  their  eyes. 

The  day  but  one  before  he  died  he  went  to  take  the 
air  in  a  coach,  but  said  on  his  return,  "  Really  father,  I 
am  exceeding  weak.  Thou  canst  not  think  how  weak 
I  am."  u  My  dear  child,"  I  replied,  "  thou  art  weak, 
but  God  is  strong,  who  is  the  strength  of  thy  life." 
"Ay,  that  is  it,"  said  he,  "  which  upholdeth  me."  And 
the  day  before  he  departed,  being  alone  with  him,  he 
desired  me  to  fasten  the  door,  and  looking  earnestly 
upon  me,  said,  "  Dear  father  !  thou  art  a  dear  father ; 
and  I  know  thy  Father.  Come,  let  us  two  have  a  little 
meeting,  a  private  ejaculation  together,  now  nobody 
else  is  here.  Oh,  my  soul  is  sensible  of  the  love  of 
God  !"  And,  indeed,  a  sweet  time  we  had.  It  was  like 
to  precious  ointment  for  his  burial. 

He  desired,  if  he  were  not  to  live,  that  he  might  go 
home  to  die  there,  and  we  made  preparations  for  it,  being 
twenty  miles  from  my  house ;  for  so  much  stronger 
was  his  spirit  than  his  body,  that  he  spoke  of  going 
next  day,  which  was  the  morning  he  departed,  and  a 
symptom  it  was  of  his  greater  journey  to  his  longer  home. 
The  morning  he  left  us,  growing  more  and  more  sensi- 
ble of  his  extreme  weakness,  he  asked  me,  as  doubtful 


SPRIX(iETT  PENN. 


7 


of  himself,  "How  shall  I  go  home?"  I  told  him  in  a 
coach.  He  answered,  "I  am  hest  in  a  coach;''  hut, 
observing  his  decay,  I  said,  "  Why,  child,  thou  art  at 
home  everywhere."  "Ay,"  said  he,  "so  I  am  in  the 
Lord."  I  took  that  opportunity  to  ask  him  if  I  should 
remember  his  love  to  his  friends  at  Bristol  and  London. 
k*  Yes,  yes,"  said  he,  "  my  love  in  the  Lord,  my  love  to 
all  friends  in  the  Lord,  and  relations  too."  He  said,  "Ay, 
to  be  sure."  Being  asked  if  he  would  have  his  ass's 
milk  or  eat  anything,  he  answered,  "  ~No  more  outward 
food,  but  heavenly  food  is  provided  for  me." 

His  time  drawing  on  apace,  he  said  to  me,  "My  dear 
father,  kiss  me  !  Thou  art  a  dear  father.  I  desire  to 
prize  it.    How  can  I  make  thee  amends  ?" 

He  also  called  his  sister,  and  said  to  her,  "  Poor 
child,  come  and  kiss  me  !"  between  whom  seemed  a 
tender  and  long  parting.  I  sent  for  his  brother,  that 
he  might  kiss  him  too,  which  he  did.  All  were  in 
tears  about  him.  Turning  his  head  to  me,  he  said 
softly,  "  Dear  father !  hast  thou  no  hope  for  me  !"  I 
answered,  "  My  dear  child  !  I  am  afraid  to  hope,  and  I 
dare  not  despair,  but  am  and  have  been  resigned, 
though  one  of  the  hardest  lessons  I  ever  learned."  He 
paused  awhile,  and  with  a  composed  frame  of  mind,  he 
said,  "  Come  life,  come  death,  I  am  resigned.  Oh,  the 
love  of  God  overcomes  my  soul !"  Feeling  himself 
decline  apace,  and  seeing  him  not  able  to  bring  up  the 
matter  that  was  in  his  throat,  somebody  fetched  the 
doctor ;  but  as  soon  as  he  came  in,  he  said,  "  Let  my 
father  speak  to  the  doctor,  and  I'll  go  to  sleep;"  which 
he  did,  and  waked  no  more ;  breathing  his  last  on  my 
breast  the  10th  day  of  the  Second  Month,  between  the 
hours  of  nine  and  ten  in  the  morning,  1696,  in  his 
one-and-twentieth  year. 

So  ended  the  life  of  my  dear  child  and  eldest  son, 


8 


A  SHORT  ACCOUNT  OF  SPRINGETT  PENN. 


much  of  my  comfort  and  hope,  and  one  of  the  most 
tender  and  dutiful,  as  well  as  ingenious  and  virtuous 
youths  I  knew,  if  I  may  say  so  of  my  own  dear  child, 
in  whom  I  lose  all  that  any  father  could  lose  in  a  child, 
since  he  was  capable  of  anything  that  became  a  sober 
young  man,  my  friend  and  companion,  as  well  as  most 
affectionate  and  dutiful  child. 

May  this  loss  and  end  have  its  due  weight  and  im- 
pression upon  all  his  dear  relations  and  friends,  and  upon 
those  to  whose  hands  this  account  may  come,  for  their 
remembrance,  and  preparation  for  their  great  and  last 
change,  and  I  have  my  end  in  making  my  dear  child's 
thus  far  public. 


No.  173. 


WAR 

ON 

CHRISTIAN  PRINCIPLES. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TBACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 


1889. 


War  on  Christian  Principles. 


In  the  treaty  made  in  1848,  after  the  war  between  the 
United  States  and  Mexico,  provision  was  made,  that  any 
future  war  between  the  two  countries,  should  be  con- 
ducted on  Christian  principles. 

The  precepts  of  the  great  Author  of  Christianity  are 
so  directly  opposed  to  all  war  and  fighting,  as  to  make 
any  serious  attempt  to  carry  out  this  provision  of  the 
Treaty,  absurd.  How  can  we  love  our  enemies,  and 
maim,  mutilate  and  kill  them  ?  How  can  we  do  good 
to  them  that  hate  us,  and  at  the  same  time  burn  their 
buildings  and  steal  or  destroy  their  provisions  ?  How 
can  we  pray  for  them  that  despitefully  use  and  persecute 
us,  while  we  incite  them  to  violate  some  of  the  most 
important  of  the  Divine  commandments  ?  It  cannot  be 
so ;  but  if  the  principles  of  Christianity  ever  rule  the 
two  nations,  not  a  shot  or  shell  can  be  fired ;  and  instead 
of  injuring  each  other,  the  men  of  both  sides  will  be 
found  vying  in  efforts  to  do  the  most  good  to  the  op- 
posite side ;  thus  making  friends  of  them,  instead  of 
enemies. 

The  fact  is  that  war  is  so  totally  opposed  to  Chris- 
tianity, that  it  has  been  and  still  is,  one  of  the  most 
powerful  agencies  in  preventing  the  spread  of  the  re- 
ligion of  Christ.  In  her  wars,  notably  with  India  and 
China,  England  has  in  large  measure  neutralized  the 
efforts  of  her  missionaries ;  the  English  soldiers  being 


WAR  ON  CHRISTIAN  PRINCIPLES. 


3 


naturally  regarded  as  representatives  of  the  religion  of 
their  native  country.  And  is  it  unnatural  that  the 
Asiatics  should  prefer  the  religion  of  their  fathers  to 
one  which  they  feel  is  attempted  to  be  forced  upon 
them  at  the  cannon's  mouth — especially  when  they  find 
its  theory  and  practice  wholly  irreconcilable  ? 

In  the  year  1827,  the  Turkish-Egyptian  fleet  was 
destroyed  in  the  Bay  of  Xavarino,  by  the  combined 
fleets  of  Great  Britain,  France  and  Russia.  After  the 
firing  had  ceased,  the  English  Admiral  Sir  Edward 
Codrington,  sent  a  lieutenant  to  offer  any  medical  as- 
sistance that  might  be  needed.  The  only  physician  on 
board  the  ship  to  which  he  went  was  the  first  man 
killed  in  the  action;  and  as  the  dead  had  not  been 
thrown  overboard,  nor  the  wounded  removed  to  the 
cock-pit,  the  decks  presented  a  most  horrible  scene  of 
gore  and  mangled  bodies.  Some  dozen  Turkish  officers 
sat  in  the  cabin  upon  their  crimsoned  ottomans  alter- 
nately sipping  their  coffee  and  smoking  their  pipes. 
They  ordered  ottomans  and  coffee  for  the  lieutenant ; 
but  he  declined  them,  saying  :  "  I  come  with  the  Admi- 
ral's compliments,  to  offer  assistance."  "  We  need 
none,"  cooly  replied  the  Turk.  "  But  shall  not  our 
surgeons  attend  to  your  wounded  ?"  "  Xo,"  answered 
the  Turk,  with  perfect  unconcern,  "  wounded  men 
want  no  assistance  ;  they'll  die  soon." 

Baffled  in  this  mission  of  mercy,  the  lieutenant  re- 
turned, and  reported  its  failure  to  the  admiral,  when 
Sir  Edward  sent  him  back  to  bring  with  him,  if  possi- 
ble the  Turkish  secretary.  The  lieutenant  went  and 
brought  him  and  several  others  to  the  admiral ;  and, 
after  being  closeted  with  the  secretary  for  a  long  time, 


4 


WAR  ON  CHRISTIAN  PRINCIPLES. 


Sir  Edward  ordered  the  same  lieutenant  to  take  him  and 
his  companions  ashore.  On  their  way  they  came  near 
the  wreck  of  a  mast,  on  wThich  some  score  of  wounded 
or  exhausted  Turks  were  endeavoring  to  save  them- 
selves. "  These  poor  fellows,"  said  the  lieutenant  anx- 
iously, "  I  must  certainly  rescue."  "  Poh  !"  retorted 
the  Turk,  "never  mind  them;  they  are  only  common 
soldiers,  and  will  soon  die,  if  you'll  let  them  alone." 
"  I  can't  let  them  alone,"  said  the  lieutenant ;  "  I  must 
save  them  if  possible ;  and  if  I  don't  try,  I  should  dis- 
grace the  service."  So  he  pulled  for  the  rescue  of  the 
poor  wretches  ;  and  when  they  wrere  all  carefully  stowed 
away  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  the  Turk,  after  a  short 
pause,  burst  into  a  fit  of  immoderate  laughter.  "What's 
the  matter  ?"  cried  the  lieutenant.  "  Laugh !  what  is 
here  to  laugh  at?"  " Laugh  !"  retorted  the  Turk  in 
bitter  sarcasm,  "  laugh !  you  English  are  a  queer  people. 
Why  yesterday,  while  we  wTere  quietly  drinking  our 
coffee,  you  came  and  knocked  our  ships  to  pieces,  and 
killed  or  mangled  all  our  men,  till  our  fleet  is  one  vast 
slaughter-house ;  but,  this  morning,  you  pretend  to  be 
so  humane,  you  cannot  pass  a  score  of  wounded  soldiers 
without  taking  all  this  trouble  to  save  these  few  victims 
of  your  own  cruelty  !" 


THE  WORK  OF  RELIGION 

IN  THE  EEAKT  OF  A  LITTLE  CHILD 


"  I  love  them  that  love  me;  and  those  that  seek  me  diligently  shall 
find  me."— Prov.  viii.,  17.,  R.  V. 


The  following  remarkable  circumstance  was  related 
to  Ann  Mifflin,  wife  of  Warner  Mifflin,  by  a  person  who 
attended  the  meetings  of  Friends,  although  not  a  mem- 
ber. 

"  Reading  the  life  of  Fenelon,  one  First-day  morning, 
in  my  bed,  two  of  my  children  being  with  me — a  son 
of  seven  years  old,  and  a  daughter  of  four — I  requested 
them  to  remain  still  while  I  read  ;  and  to  induce  them 
to  be  so,  I  proposed  that  they  should  think  for  half  an 
hour  and  then  tell  me  their  thoughts. 

"  After  a  pause,  my  little  son  replied,  It  was  impossi- 
ble to  tell  his  thoughts ;  they  were  the  same  that  had 
been  in  his  mind  more  than  one  year ;  and  that  they 
were  so  delightful,  the  more  he  thought,  the  more  he 
wished  to  continue  in  that  sweet  meditation;  and  if  all 
the  world  could  get  into  the  same  feeling,  it  would  be 
impossible  for  any  to  be  damned. 

"  Being  very  much  startled  at  such  an  unexpected 
reply  from  so  young  a  child,  I  inquired  of  him  if  he 
could  recollect  the  first  time  when  he  felt  these  serious 


THE  WORK  OF  RELIGION,  ETC. 


impressions.  He  said  they  came  on  by  degrees,  and 
from  a  desire  to  be  good  and  serve  God. 

"  I  then  asked  him  if  he  was  willing  to  die  and  go  to 
heaven.  He  said  he  had  heaven  already  in  his  own 
heart,  therefore  he  believed  if  he  should  be  called  from 
this  world,  his  spirit  would  unite  with  God  his  Father. 
But  he  wanted  to  live  to  pray  for  others  who  were 
wicked ;  and  that  many  times  when  he  was  alone  he  had 
burst  into  tears  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  and  had  wished 
it  were  in  his  power  to  bring  them  into  the  same  feeling 
as  himself.  He  also  said  that  he  could  not  speak  of  these 
things  to  his  companions  at  school,  knowing  he  should 
be  ridiculed;  and  also,  that  if  I  knew  all  he  suffered  in 
his  mind  among  such  a  set  of  wicked  boys,  I  should 
weep  for  him. 

"  I  asked  him  what  he  meant  ? 

"  He  said  he  grieved  for  them,  lest  they  should  continue 
hardened  in  wickedness  ;  was  sorry  that  they  should 
offend  so  good  a  God,  and  was  distressed  for  himself 
in  struggling  against  the  temptations  before  him,  and 
was  afraid  he  should  do  something  wrong  himself ;  but 
that  these  thoughts  which  were  continually  with  him, 
were  his  comfort. 

"  I  asked  him  if  he  knew  from  whence  those  thoughts 
proceeded  ? 

"  He  said  :  '  Yes,  from  God ;'  and  added,  it  was 
God's  Spirit  in  him  ;  and  that  he  sometimes  enjoyed 
heaven  without  waiting  for  death." 

After  the  child  had  left  the  room,  the  narrator  con- 
tinued:  aMy  eldest  daughter,  aged  twelve  years,  who 
was  present,  burst  into  tears  and  said  \  <  What  but  the 
Spirit  of  God  could  make  a  child  like  this  speak  in 
this  manner  V  " 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No.  304  Arch  Street.  Philad'a. 


No.  175. 


THE  POWER  OF  TRUTH. 


The  following  beautiful  illustration  of  the  simplicity 
and  power  of  truth,  is,  with  slight  variations  in  the 
language,  from  the  pen  of  8.  H.  Hammond,  formerly 
editor  of  the  Albany  State  Register.  He  was  an  eye 
witness  of  the  scene  in  one  of  the  higher  Courts. 

A  little  girl,  nine  years  of  age,  was  offered  as  a  wit- 
ness against  a  prisoner,  who  was  on  trial  for  a  felony 
committed  in  her  father's  house.  "  Xow  Emily,*'  said 
the  Counsel  for  the  prisoner,  upon  her  being  offered  as 
a  witness,  "  I  desire  to  know  if  you  understand  the 
nature  of  an  oath." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  was  the  simple  reply. 

The  Counsel  then  addressed  the  Court,  asking,  "  Is 
anything  further  necessary  to  demonstrate  the  validity 
of  my  objection.  This  witness  should  be  rejected;  she 
does  not  apprehend  the  nature  of  an  oath." 

"  Let  us  see,"  said  the  Judge  ;  "  come  here  my  daugh- 
ter." 

Assured  by  the  tone  and  manner  of  the  Judge,  the 


2 


THE  POWER  OF  TRUTH. 


child  stepped  towards  him,  and  looked  confidingly  upon 
his  face,  with  a  calm,  clear  eye,  and  in  a  manner  so 
artless  and  frank  that  it  went  straight  to  the  heart. 

"  Did  you  ever  take  an  oath  ?"  inquired  the  Judge. 

The  girl  stepped  back  with  a  look  of  horror,  and  the 
red  blood  mantled  in  a  blush  all  over  her  face  and  neck, 
as  she  answered  that  she  had  not,  She  thought  he 
meant  to  inquire  if  she  blasphemed. 

"  I  do  not  mean  that,"  said  the  Judge,  who  sawr  her 
mistake,  "  I  mean  were  you  ever  a  witness  before  ?" 

The  girl  replied  that  she  had  never  been  in  Court 
before. 

He  handed  her  the  open  Bible,  "Do  you  know  that 
book  my  daughter?"    She  said  it  was  the  Bible. 

"  Did  you  ever  read  it  ?"  he  asked.  "  Yes,  every 
morning."  The  Judge  then  inquired  if  she  knew  what 
the  Bible  is,  and  her  answer  showed  that  she  recognized 
that  it  is  of  Divine  inspiration. 

He  then  placed  her  hand  upon  the  Bible,  and  slowly 
and  solemnly  repeated  the  form  of  the  oath  administered 
to  witnesses,  which  in  the  innocence  of  her  heart  she 
was  thus  made  to  take,  without  her  attention  having 
been  called  to  the  fact  that  our  Saviour*  and  the  Apos- 
tle Janiesf  have  forbidden  all  swearing. 

"  Now,"  said  the  Judge,  "  you  have  sworn  as  a  wit- 
ness, will  you  tell  me  what  will  befall  you,  if  you  do 

*Matt.  v.  34-35.  "  But  I  say  unto  you,  Swear  not  at  all :  neither  by 
heaven,  for  it  is  God's  throne ;  nor  by  the  earth,  for  it  is  his  footstool ; 
neither  by  Jerusalem,  for  it  is  the  city  of  the  great  King." 

f  James,  v.  12.  "But  above  all  things,  my  brethren,  Swear  not, 
neither  by  heaven,  neither  by  the  earth,  neither  by  any  other  oatli ; 
but  let  your  yea  be  yea,  and  your  nay,  nay ;  lest  ye  fall  into  condem- 
nation." 


THE  POWER  OF  TRUTH. 


e 


not  tell  the  truth  ?"  "  I  shall  be  shut  up  in  the  State 
Prison,"  answered  the  child.  "  Anything  else  ?"  asked 
the  Judge.  "I  shall  never  go  to  Heaven,"  she  replied. 
"  How  do  you  know  this  ?"  asked  the  Judge  again. 
The  child  took  the  Bible,  and  turning  rapidly  to  the 
chapter  containing  the  ten  commandments,  pointed  to 
the  injunction  :  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against 
thy  neighbor;  "I  learned  that  before  I  could  read." 
"  Has  any  one  talked  with  you  about  your  being  a  wit- 
ness here  in  Court  against  this  man  ?"  inquired  the 
Judge.  "  Yes,"  she  replied,  "  my  mother  heard  they 
wanted  me  to  be  a  witness,  and  last  night  she  called  me 
to  her  room,  and  asked  me  to  tell  her  the  ten  com- 
mandments, and  then  we  knelt  down  together,  and  she 
prayed  that  I  might  understand  how  wicked  it  is  to 
bear  false  witness  against  my  neighbor,  and  God  would 
help  me,  a  little  child,  to  tell  the  truth  as  it  was  before 
Him.  And  when  I  came  up  here  with  father,  she  kissed 
me,  and  told  me  to  remember  the  ninth  commandment, 
and  that  God  would  hear  every  thing  that  I  said." 

"  Do  you  believe  this  ?"  asked  the  Judge,  while  a 
tear  glistened  in  his  eye,  and  his  lips  quivered  with 
emotion.  "  Yesy"  said  the  child  with  a  voice  and  man- 
ner that  showed  that  her  conviction  of  its  truth  was 
perfect. 

"  God  bless  you,  my  child,"  said  the  Judge,  "  you 
have  a  good  mother.  This  witness  is  competent,"  he 
continued,  "  were  I  on  trial  for  my  life,  and  innocent 
of  the  charges  against  me,  I  would  pray  God  for  such 
a  witness;  let  her  be  examined." 

She  told  her  story  with  the  simplicity  of  a  child,  as 
she,  was,  but  there  was  a  directness  about  it  which  car- 


4 


THE  POWER  OF  TRUTH. 


ried  conviction  of  its  truth  to  every  heart.  She  was 
rigidly  cross-examined.  The  Counsel  plied  her  with 
numerous  ingenious  questionings,  but  she  varied  from 
her  first  statement  in  nothing.  The  truth  as  spoken 
by  that  little  child  was  sublime.  Falsehood  and  perjury 
had  preceded  her  testimony.  The  prisoner  had  in- 
trenched himself  in  lies,  until  he  thought  himself  im- 
pregnable. Witnesses  had  falsified  facts  in  his  favor, 
and  villainy  had  manufactured  for  him  a  sham  defence. 
But  before  her  testimony,  falsehood  wras  scattered  like 
chaff.  The  little  child  for  whom  a  mother  had  prayed 
for  strength  to  be  given  her  to  speak  the  truth  as  it 
was  before  God,  broke  the  cunning  devices  of  mature 
villainy  to  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel.  The  strength 
her  mother  prayed  for  was  given  her,  and  the  sublime 
and  terrible  simplicity — terrible  to  the  prisoner  and 
his  associates, — with  which  she  spoke,  seemed  like  a 
voice  from  Heaven. 


Published  by  the  Tract  Association  of  Friends,  No,  304  Arch  Street,  Philad'a. 


No.  176. 


FOREORDINATION. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 


1889. 


FOREORDINATION. 


"When  Christopher  Healy  was  between  thirteen  and 
fourteen  years  of  age,  he  attended  a  school  in  New 
England,  taught  by  a  Presbyterian  master,  who  heard 
his  pupils  recite  a  Catechism  lesson,  once  every  week. 
For  some  time  this  had  been  very  irksome  to  the  lad. 
One  day  on  looking  at  the  answer  to  the  question  that 
fell  to  his  lot:  "  What  are  the  decrees  of  God?"  he 
found  he  must  reply,  "  That  God's  decrees  are  the 
wise,  free  and  holy  acts  of  the  Counsel  of  His  will, 
whereby,  from  all  eternity,  He  hath  for  His  own  glory 
foreordained  whatsoever  comes  to  pass  in  time,"  etc. 

This  doctrine  of  predestination,  in  subversion  of 
man's  free  agency,  was,  as  he  believed,  contrary  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  Bible ;  and  he  found  that  he  must  de- 
cline these  lessons;  but  how  to  break  his  determination 
to  his  master  was  the  question ;  yet,  as  his  peace  con- 
sisted in  it,  he  made  the  request.  The  teacher,  in  sur- 
prise, desired  to  know  why  he  wished  to  be  excused 
from  saying  his  Catechism — a  book  that  he  himself 
looked  upon  as  next  to  the  Bible,  if  not  equally  sacred. 
The  conscientious  boy  could  only  repty,  that  he  did  not 
feel  comfortable  in  his  mind  to  learn  it.  "  But,"  said 
the  teacher,  "  I  cannot  excuse  you  unless  you  give  me 
a  reason." 

At  length,  Christopher  Healy  had  plainly  to  tell 
him,  he  could  not  learn  his  Catechism  because  it  was 


FOREORDIXATIOX. 


3 


not  true.  "  Xot  true?"  exclaimed  the  astonished  teacher, 
who,  although  he  had  a  good  opinion  of  the  lad, 
seemed  almost  horror-stricken  at  his  declaration.  Find- 
ing him  firm,  however,  he  told  him  that  if  he  would 
make  his  word  good  by  proving  the  Catechism  to  be 
false,  he  would  excuse  him  thereafter  from  these  les- 
sons; and  after  school,  that  day,  was  appointed  for  the 
proof. 

The  poor  boy  had  a  time  of  deep  trial  until  the  hour 
arrived,  and  nearly  all  his  school-fellows  staid.  But 
Christopher  Healy,  although  young,  had  read  his  Bible 
with  care,  and  he  had  a  retentive  memory ;  and  the 
good  Remembrancer  brought  to  his  recollection  this 
passage  of  the  prophet  Jeremiah,  where,  speaking  in 
the  name  of  the  Most  High,  it  is  said :  "  They  have 
built  the  high  places  of  Topheth,  which  is  in  the  valley 
of  the  son  of  Hinnom,  to  burn  their  sons  and  their 
daughters  in  the  fire ;  which  I  commanded  them  not  : 
neither  came  it  into  my  mind," — chap,  vii,  v.  31  ( R.  Y.), 
showing  that  these  things  were  not  preordained  of  God, 
but  were  of  man's  own  wickedness. 

The  astonished  school-teacher  could  only  say,  he 
"  did  not  think  there  had  been  anything  like  it  in  the 
Bible."  However,  he  released  the  lad  from  saying  his 
Catechism  any  more. 

Twenty-five  years  afterwards,  Christopher  Healy, 
who  had  become  a  member  and  a  minister  of  the  Re- 
ligious Society  of  Friends,  visited  that  neighborhood 
and  had  a  religious  meeting  appointed,  to  which  his 
old  teacher  and  fellow-pupils  were  invited  :  and  a  num- 
ber of  them  attended  it.  In  this  meeting  he  related 
the  circumstance,  saying,  "  and  ye  are  my  witnesses," 


4 


FOREOItDINATION. 


as  he  appealed  to  them,  and  detailed  some  of  the  deal- 
ings of  the  Lord  with  him  in  drawing  him  to  unite 
himself  with  Friends,  and  opening  one  by  one  their 
testimonies  to  his  understanding.  His  old  teacher 
seemed  rejoiced  to  see  him,  and  clung  .to  him  with 
affection ;  and  his  school-fellows  received  him  with 
open  arms. 

The  apostle  Paul,  in  the  29th  verse  of  the  eighth 
chapter  of  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  uses  this  lan- 
guage :  "  For  whom  He  foreknew,  He  also  foreor- 
dained to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his  Son,"  &c. 

Similar  expressions  are  to  be  found  in  the  first  chap- 
ter of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians.  That  it  is  the  will 
of  our  Heavenly  Father  that  every  soul  He  has  created 
should  "  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his  Son,'*'  is 
manifest  from  many  Scripture  passages :  for  instance, 
in  Acts  x,  34-35,  it  is  said,  "  God  is  no  respecter  of  per- 
sons :  but  in  every  nation  he  that  feareth  Him  and  work- 
eth  righteousness  is  acceptable  to  Him."  And  Peter  also 
says :  He  "  is  long  suffering  to  you-ward,  not  wish- 
ing that  any  should  perish,  but  that  all  should  come  to 
repentance;"*  but  nowhere  in  the  Scriptures  is  the  idea 
conveyed  that  He  has  foreordained  any  human  soul  to 
everlasting  destruction  ;  although  there  are  individuals 
who  do  quench  the  Holy  Spirit — that  true  Light  which 
lighteth  every  man  coming  into  the  world, f  and  thus 
frustrate  the  will  of  their  Heavenly  Father  respecting 
them.  These  continuing  impenitent,  "shall  go  away 
into  eternal  punishment;  but  the  righteous  into  eter- 
nal life."! 


*  2  Peter  iii.  9.  f  John  i.  9. 


I  Mat,  xxv.  46. 


No.  177. 


INCIDENTS 

IN  THE 

LIFE  OF  DAVID  SANDS, 

A  MINISTER  OF  THE  GOSPEL  IN  THE  SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TBACT  ASSOCIATION  OF  FRIENDS, 

No.  304  Arch  Street. 


1890. 


INCIDENTS 


IN  THE 

LIFE  OF  DAVID  SANDS. 


David  Sands  was  born  at  Cowneck,  on  Long  Island, 
in  the  year  1745.  When  about  fourteen  years  of  age, 
his  parents  removed  to  Cornwall,  Orange  County,  New 
York.  He  was  very  industrious  in  order  to  acquire 
an  education,  and  often  studied  by  firelight,  there  be- 
ing little  opportunity  in  that  then  new  country  to  ob- 
tain school  learning.  Being  given  to  see  the  necessity 
of  becoming  a  true  Christian,  and  not  a  merely  nomi- 
nal professor,  he  earnestly  desired  to  know  the  truth  as 
it  is  in  Jesus.  His  inward  exercise  increased,  and  he 
suffered  great  anxiety  of  mind,  so  that  his  parents,  who 
were  Presbyterians,  became  uneasy  on  his  account; 
but  they  often  expressed  that  if  he  could  but  find  peace 
of  mind,  they  would  be  satisfied  to  give  him  up,  let  his 
name  in  religion  be  what  it  might. 

About  this  time  he  attended  a  meeting  appointed  by 
Samuel  Nottingham,  a  Friend  from  England,  whose 
testimony  accorded  with  his  exercised  state.  But  at 
this  time  he  could  not  bring  his  mind  to  a  willingness 
to  be  a  Quaker.  The  plain,  humble  appearance  seemed 
to  him  to  be  more  than  was  required  of  a  Christian.  His 
close  exercise  of  mind  continuing,  he  retired  daily  to  a 
secret  spot  some  distance  from  his  dwelling  to  suppli- 
cate his  Maker  for  knowledge  to  enable  him  to  go  for- 
ward according  to  his  Divine  appointment. 

After  one  of  these  opportunities,  upon  raising  his 
eyes,  there  appeared  to  his  view  two  men,  plainly 
dressed  in  light  clothes,  as  if  walking  from  him.  He 
was  struck  with  the  sight,  and  in  thought  exclaimed, 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  DAVID  SANDS. 


3 


"  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  be  a  Quaker ;  I  would 
rather  die." 

Being  informed  that  Edward  Hallock,  a  Friend  from 
Long  Island,  had  settled  with  his  family  about  twelve 
miles  distant,  he  decided  to  pay  him  a  visit.  This 
Friend  received  him  cordially,  and  way  opened  for 
considerable  religious  conversation,  which  had  the 
effect  of  opening  David  Sands'  eyes  and  removing  his 
doubts  respecting  the  Society  toward  which  his  mind 
was  now  strongly  turned.  These  feelings  were  strength- 
ened by  attending  a  Monthly  Meeting  at  Xine  Partners, 
to  which  E.  Hallock  invited  him. 

His  business  frequently  brought  him  to  the  city  of 
New  York.  On  one  occasion  two  Friends  made  some 
purchases  of  him;  one  of  them,  Joseph  Delaplaine, 
after  leaving  him,  said  to  his  eompanion,  "  There  is 
something  in  that  young  man  which  has  interested  me 
very  much ;  I  feel  it  right  to  return  and  invite  him  to 
my  house."  The  other  Friend  replied,  "  I  also  felt  ex- 
ceedingly interested  in  him  (not  knowing  why,  as 
he  made  no  appearance  of  a  Friend),  and  I  shall  be  glad 
to  return  with  thee."  On  speaking  with  him,  D.  Sands 
replied,  "  I  also  had  feelings  which  I  am  unable  to  ex- 
press by  words,  and  most  gladly  accept  your  kind  invi- 
tation." At  the  time  appointed  for  his  visit,  they 
attended  Liberty  Street  Meeting,  then  called  Crown 
Street,  which  was  the  first  Friends'  Meeting  he  at- 
tended in  New  York  City,  and  also  eventually  the  first 
house  in  which  he  appeared  in  public  testimony. 

In  the  twenty-first  year  of  his  age  he  requested  to  be 
admitted  into  the  Society  of  Friends  as  a  member,  at 
Xine  Partners,  and  was  received  into  that  meeting.  In 
the  year  1771  he  married  Clementine  Hallock,  daughter 
of  his  friend  Edward  Hallock.  This  was  a  trial  to  his 
parents,  on  account  of  their  not  having  any  knowledge  of 
Friends,  excepting  through  David  himself.  The  young 
couple  spent  the  next  winter  with  his  parents,  who 
soon  became  reconciled  to  his  wife,  and  treated  her 


4 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE 


with  much  kindness  and  affection.  Her  steady  and 
consistent  deportment,  added  to  a  disposition  to  increase 
the  happiness  and  best  interest  of  all  those  to  whom 
she  had  become  so  nearly  connected,  made  way  for  her, 
so  that  the  time  spent  with  them  was  truly  edifying  in 
the  family,  and  produced  lasting  and  blessed  fruits  to 
many  of  them.  David's  parents  became  ^convinced  of 
the  truth  as  he  had  embraced  it,  and  became  members 
of  the  Society,  as  likewise  did  some  of  his  brothers  and 
sisters. 

In  the  year  1772  David  Sands  first  appeared  in  the 
ministry,  and  was  recorded  as  a  minister  in  1775.  In 
the  course  of  his  life  he  travelled  in  the  service  of  the 
gospel  in  various  parts  of  America,  in  Great  Britain 
and  on  the  Continent  of  Europe.  He  visited  New 
England  several  times.  On  his  first  journey  in  this 
part  of  America,  there  appeared  to  be  very  little  con- 
vincement  in  many  places ;  but  by  faithfullv  laboring 
in  obedience  to  Divine  direction,  he  was  made  instru- 
mental in  gathering  several  meetings,  which,  in  some 
places,  increased,  so  that  both  Monthly  and  Quarterly 
Meetings  were  established. 

In  the  prosecution  of  one  of  his  early  journeys  in  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  he  arrived  at  a  town  or  village 
where  the  Society  of  Friends  and  their  principles  were 
unknown.  He  put  up  at  an  inn,  where  a  large  ball  was 
to  be  held  in  the  evening. 

.  It  was  the  custom  on  such  occasions,  to  ask  strangers 
who  might  happen  to  be  there  to  join  them  ;  and  they 
invited  him  to  attend,  hoping  perhaps  to  add  to  their 
amusement  by  making  him  a  subject  of  ridicule. 

He  accepted  the  invitation,  and  after  the  guests  were 
all  assembled,  and  their  mirth  and  music  commenced, 
he  walked  into  the  midst  of  them.  His  solemn  and 
impressive  demeanor  struck  the  company  with  awe; 
the  music  and  dancing  ceased,  and  they  all  stood  in  si- 
lent amazement,  waiting  the  result,  when  he  addressed 
them  in  the  following  words  : 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  SAXDS. 


5 


"  My  friends,  for  what  purpose  is  this  gay  company 
assembled  ?  Is  it  to  worship  Almighty  God ;  Him 
from  whom  all  your  favors  and  blessings  flow  ;  who,  in 
his  love  and  compassion,  gave  the  dear  Son  of  his 
bosom  as  a  ransom,  that  through  Him  you  might  have 
eternal  life  ?  Or  have  you  rather  suffered  yourselves 
to  be  led  captive  by  the  enemy  of  your  soul's  peace, 
who,  for  a  season,  may  hold  out  bright  and  pleasant  al- 
lurements to  tempt  your  unwary  feet  to  stray  from  the 
true  fold  of  peace,  revealed  in  and  through  Christ 
Jesus  your  Saviour  and  Redeemer ;  He  who  suffered 
his  precious  blood  to  flow  to  wash  away  your  sins?  Oh ! 
be  persuaded,  I  say,  to  seek  the  Lord  whilst  He  may  be 
found:  turn  to  Him  and  He  will  turn  unto  you: 
knock,  before  the  door  of  mercy  is  eternally  closed,  and 
He  will  receive  you  and  encompass  you  with  un- 
bounded love,  and  lead  you  gently  into  pleasant  places, 
even  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  where  you  will  re- 
joice for  evermore ;  singing  praises  unto  the  Lamb. 
Yea,  He  will  be  unto  you  as  a  shield  and  buckler; 
and  as  your  strong  defence  in  times  of  trouble.  Suffer 
Him  not  to  stand  knocking  at  the  door  of  your  hearts 
until  his  head  shall  become  wet  with  the  dew,  and  his 
locks  with  the  drops  of  the  night." 

Thus  did  he  continue  to  address  them  until  the  power 
of  God  was  so  made  manifest  among  them  that  many 
were  brought  to  tears.  When  he  had  concluded  they 
acknowledged  with  gratitude,  "  We  have  heard  this 
night  what  we  never  can  forget." 

After  taking  a  tender  leave  of  them,  they  separated, 
almost  forgetful  of  the  object  for  which  they  had  as- 
sembled. 

In  the  year  1777  or  1778,  David  Sands  was  on  a 
religious  visit  to  !N"ew  England  (the  eastern  part  of 
which  was  almost  a  wilderness,  with  but  few  inhabi- 
tants, and  they  generally  of  the  poorer  class.)  After 
having  had  several  appointed  meetings  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Vassalboro,  a  man,  who  was  a  magistrate  in 


6 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE 


the  place,  and  more  comfortably  situated  than  many  of 
his  neighbors,  said  to  his  wife  :  "  I  hear  these  Quakers 
are  decent,  respectable-looking  men ;  I  believe  I  shall 
invite  them  to  my  house,  as  they  must  be  but  poorly 
accommodated  where  they  are."  She  readily  agreed 
to  the  proposal,  and  a  messenger  was  despatched  for 
them;  and  they  accepted  the  kind  invitation.  When 
they  came,  they  were  shown  into  the  common  room,  or 
kitchen,  and  after  being  seated,  they  remained  in  per- 
fect silence.  Thinking  the  Friends  were  displeased  at 
being  brought  into  the  kitchen,  the  man  ordered  a  fire 
to  be  made  in  another  room,  into  which  the  guests  were 
invited.  After  seating  themselves,  the  same  solemn  si- 
lence ensued,  at  which  he  became  almost  vexed,  and 
thought  to  himself,  they  certainly  are  fools,  or  take  me 
to  be  one,  and  regretted  having  taken  so  much  trouble 
on  their  account.  As  these  thoughts  were  passing  in 
his  mind,  David  Sands  turned,  and,  fixing  his  eye  full 
in  his  face,  in  the  most  solemn  manner  said :  "  Art 
thou  willing  to  be  a  fool  ?"  when  he  paused  and  again 
repeated,  "  Art  thou  willing  to  become  a  fool  for 
Christ's  sake?"  He  continued  with  such  power — as 
the  man  afterwards  expressed  —  that  he  could  not 
withstand  it,  and  in  a  short  time  became  fully  convinced 
of  Friends'  principles,  and  most  warmly  attached  to 
David  Sands,  from  feelings  of  sincere  gratitude  and 
brotherly  love.  His  house  was  open  at  all  times  to 
them  to  hold  their  meetings  in,  and  he  kindly  offered 
to  accompany  them  in  visiting  meetings  and  families  in 
the  neighborhood,  fully  acknowledging  the  power  of 
truth  as  he  had  heard  it  set  forth.  Soon  after,  he  be- 
came a  member  with  Friends,  very  zealous  in  the  cause 
of  righteousness,  and  a  laborer  in  the  ministry,  in 
which  he  travelled  much. 

The  foregoing  journey  through  some  of  the  Eastern 
States,  being  at  a  period  when  the  Kevolutionary  War 
was  at  its  height,  David  Sands  had  many  trials  to  pass 
through,  in  moving  about  amongst  the  armed  forces. 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  SANDS. 


7 


Of  these  trials  his  wife  and  family  at  home  had  largely 
to  partake.  His  house  stood  in  a  neighborhood  where 
many  of  the  troops  were  collected,  and  at  one  time  there 
was  a  guard  of  fifty  men  stationed  at  his  house.  At 
first  they  appeared  rather  hostile,  but  soon  changed 
their  conduct,  as  they  became  acquainted  with  his  wife 
and  family,  and  were  satisfied  that  he  was  absent  on  a 
religious  visit,  though  it  appeared  strange  to  them  that 
he  could  leave  a  comfortable  home  in  such  perilous 
times;  from  this  circumstance, they  were  at  first  almost 
induced  to  believe  that  he  had  gone  to  the  enemy. 

It  is  stated  that  some  of  the  soldiers  often  came  in 
and  sat  with  them  during  their  meetings,  and  appeared 
very  civil  and  respectful.  Clementine  Sands  lent  them 
"Barclay's  Apology"  and  other  Friends'  books.  When 
they  left,  they  appeared  friendly,  and  to  desire  the  wel- 
fare of  the  family.  During  their  stay,  her  friends  de- 
sired her  to  remove  to  a  place  that  seemed  safer,  but 
she  felt  most  easy  to  remain,  though  much  exercised, 
desiring  to  be  shown  what  was  best  for  her;  and  on 
one  occasion  she  retired  to  wait  in  silence  to  be  guided 
by  Him  who  is  alone  able  to  direct  in  best  wisdom. 
She  felt  drawn  to  open  the  Bible,  and  her  eye  rested  on 
the  twenty-seventh  Psalm:  "The  Lord  is  my  light 
and  my  salvation ;  whom  shall  I  fear  ?  The  Lord  is  the 
strength  of  my  life;  of  whom  shall  I  be  afraid?"  which 
was  so  fully  applicable  to  her  present  trying  situation, 
and  also  the  promise  of  care  so  beautifully  expressed, 
that  her  mind  became  quieted,  and  all  fear  and  anxiety 
were  at  an  end.  She  was  favored  to  feel  entire  confi- 
dence in  Him  wrho  had  sent  her  protector  away  from 
her  on  an  errand  of  gospel  love,  and  that  He  would  ex- 
tend a  fatherly  care  to  her  and  her  little  ones. 

During  the  winter  of  1783-4,  whilst  the  troops  were 
quartered  near  his  house,  a  secret  uneasiness  pressed 
upon  the  mind  of  David  Sands  and  his  wife,  who  felt  a 
presentiment  that  some  trial  was  approaching  them. 
One  night  after  they  had  retired  to  bed,  she  was 


8 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE 


alarmed  by  a  noise,  which  her  husband  thought  might 
only  be  the  wind  among  the  neighboring  trees.  In  a 
few  minutes  they  heard  some  one  near  their  chamber  say, 
"  Some  of  the  family  are  awake,  we  will  shoot  them;" 
their  sleeping-room  being  on  the  first  floor,  David  and 
his  wife  easily  escaped  through  the  window,  but  on 
passing  through  it,  they  were  discovered,  and  a  gun  or 
pistol  was  discharged  at  them,  the  ball  from  which 
grazed  his  forehead.  Having  on  but  a  scanty  supply  of 
clothing,  and  the  night  being  cold,  they  suffered  se- 
verely before  morning.  After  the  day  dawned,  they 
returned  to  their  own  dwelling,  which  they  found  plun- 
dered of  all  the  cash — about  $55 — most  of  their  bed- 
ding, and  even  some  of  their  furniture.  A  servant  and 
his  children,  who  were  sleeping  in  a  different  part  of 
the  house,  were  not  disturbed. 

David  soon  felt  that  it  would  be  right  for  him  to  go 
to  the  encampment.  On  his  arrival,  he  found  several 
of  the  officers  conversing,  who  thus  accosted  him, 
"  Mr.  Sands,  we  have  heard  of  the  depredation  com- 
mitted at  your  house,  and  desire  to  know  what  you 
think  can  be  done  to  discover  the  offenders."  After  a 
time  of  solid  consideration,  David  informed  them  that 
he  believed  if  the  men  were  drawn  up  in  a  rank  and 
file  of  fifty  in  a  company,  he  should  be  able  by  follow- 
ing  Divine  direction,  to  detect  those  concerned  in  the 
robbery. 

The  officers  wondered  at  this,  thinking  it  impossible, 
that  with  no  outward  knowledge  of  them,  he  could 
point  them  out.  They,  however,  ordered  out  the 
troops,  and  David  commenced  his  review.  As  he  pass- 
ed down  the  first  rank  he  paused  at  the  bottom,  and 
then  went  on  to  the  second  company ;  here  he  soon 
stopped  before  one  of  the  men,  and  looking  him  in  the 
face,  said :  "  Where  wast  thou  last  night  ?"  He  re- 
plied, "  Keeping  guard,  sir ;  and  a  very  cold  night  it 
was."  "  Dids't  thou  find  it  so  while  at  my  house  ?" 
At  this  the  man  trembled  so  much,  and  discovered 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  SANDS. 


9 


such  evident  marks  of  guilt,  that  he  was  immediately 
ordered  out  of  the  ranks,  and  put  under  arrest.  In 
like  manner  four  others  of  the  men  were  discovered. 
David  then  went  to  a  young  officer  and  asked  him  how 
he  came  to  aid  and  accompany  the  men  to  pillage  his 
house.  He  denied  the  charge.  "  Let  me  feel  thy 
heart,  and  see  if  that  does  not  accuse  thee?"  David 
placed  his  hand  on  the  officer's  breast,  and  finding  his 
heart  throbbing  so  that  it  could  be  felt  even  up  to  his 
neck,  he  called  the  other  officers  to  draw  near,  and  see 
and  hear  how  his  own  heart  had  become  his  accuser. 

There  had  been  eight  concerned  in  the  robbery;  two 
of  whom  should  have  been  at  the  spot  at  which  David 
first  stopped,  but  they  had  deserted  before  the  search 
commenced. 

The  greatest  part  of  the  furniture  and  bedding,  and 
about  one-half  of  the  money  stolen  was  returned,  and 
the  rest  was  reported  lost. 

The  offenders  were  brought  to  trial  before  a  civil 
tribunal,  by  which,  as  David  did  not  appear  against 
them,  they  were  discharged,  but  the  officers  informed 
him  that  by  martial  law  they  had  forfeited  their  lives. 
They  were  brought  bound  to  his  house,  and  he  was 
told  that  he  should  determine  their  sentence.  Upon 
this  he  administered  suitable  advice  to  them,  forgave 
them  the  injury  they  had  done  him,  and  perceiving 
them  to  be  weary,  ordered  suitable  refreshments  for 
them. 

Whilst  thus  this  worthy  Christian  was  retaliating  in 
the  only  manner  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  allows,  his 
wife  said  to  one  of  the  men,  u  Thou  art  he  who  shot  at 
us."  Her  husband  added,  "  He  has  been  told  that 
before." 

The  staff"  of  officers  seemed  to  think  the  young  officer 
must  suffer  death,  because  he  should  have  been  an  ex- 
ample to  the  men ;  but  at  the  earnest  entreaty  of  David, 
they  allowed  him  an  opportunity  to  make  his  escape, 
which  he  embraced. 


10 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE 


The  men  each  received  some  corporal  punishment  to 
deter  others  from  like  practices,  and  were  then  restored 
to  the  ranks.  Several  years  after  this  occurrence, 
David  Sands  being  from  home  on  a  religious  visit,  a 
man  came  up  to  him,  begged  his  pardon,  and  would 
have  gone  down  on  his  knees  if  he  had  not  been  pre- 
vented. He  confessed  himself  to  be  one  of  the  two  al- 
luded to  above,  who  had  deserted  to  avoid  detection. 
He  declared  that  he  had  never  been  easy  in  his  mind 
from  the  time  he  committed  the  crime,  and  expressed 
his  hope  that  David  would  forgive  him  ;  David  Sands 
replied  that  it  was  out  of  his  power  to  forgive  sins,  but 
he  hoped  the  Almighty  would  forgive  him,  as  he  had 
long  since  forgiven  all  those  concerned  in  the  injury  he 
had  suffered. 

The  other  one  of  the  deserters,  who  also  resided  in 
the  neighborhood,  then  came  to  him.  He  appeared  to 
be  a  reformed  character,  was  comfortably  married  and 
he  and  his  wife  had  applied  to  be  received  into  mem- 
bership with  the  Society  of  Friends.  After  making 
a  confession  of  his  former  misdeed,  he  desired  that 
David,  in  token  of  forgiveness,  would  go  with  him  and 
partake  of  the  hospitalities  of  his  house,  which  he  did. 

During  David  Sands'  visit  to  Ireland  in  the  year 
1798,  whilst  travelling  in  Ulster  Province,  he  felt  a 
very  remarkable  stop  in  his  mind.  It  was  then  just  in 
the  dusk  of  the  evening,  and  he  said  he  must  have  a 
meeting  in  that  place ;  upon  which  the  Friends  who 
were  with  him  observed  that  if  they  put  up  in  that 
neighborhood,  the  inhabitants  might  be  notified  in  the 
morning;  but  David  Sands  remarked  that  it  seemed 
best  to  have  it  that  evening.  They  replied  that  the 
notice  could  not  be  very  extensive ;  David  felt  that  it 
would  not  be  necessary  to  spread  it  very  far — if  two  or 
three  were  gathered,  he  should  be  satisfied — upon 
which  they  asked  him  where  he  would  hold  it.  He 
paused,  and  pointed  to  a  barn  at  a  short  dictance,  and 
said:   "In  that  barn!"    They  immediately  procured 


LIFE  OF  DAVID  SANDS. 


11 


lights,  gave  some  information,  collected  a  few  people, 
and  sat  down  in  silence. 

Soon  after,  a  man  who  was  riding  by,  observing 
lights  in  the  barn,  rode  up  to  inquire  the  occasion,  and 
finding  it  was  a  meeting,  he  went  in  and  sat  down  with 
them.  Soon  after,  David  Sands  arose,  and  said  :  "Re- 
sist the  devil,  and  he  will  flee  from  thee;"  and  pro- 
ceeded to  address  an  individual  in  a  very  affecting  and 
solemn  manner,  said  there  was  a  person  present  under 
a  temptation,  who  had  been  tempted  for  twelve  months 
to  put  an  end  to  his  existence — three  months  since  he 
had  procured  instruments  for  that  purpose — and  that  he 
had  them  with  him  now,  and  had  set  out  on  the  fatal 
purpose.  He  warned  him  to  forbear,  and  of  the  awful 
consequences  of  such  an  act.  The  person  who  came 
apparently  by  accident,  discovered  great  emotion,  and 
after  David  Sands  had  relieved  his  mind,  the  meeting 
concluded. 

The  next  day  the  man  alluded  to  went  to  David 
Sands  and  confessed  that  he  was  the  person  described ; 
that  he  had  been  under  such  a  temptation  twelve 
months;  three  months  before  he  had  procured  pistols 
to  execute  the  dreadful  design,  and  that  he  had  them 
with  him  loaded,  and  left  home  for  that  purpose,  but 
was  prevented  by  Divine  interposition. 

It  is  stated  that  soon  after  this  merciful  preservation, 
the  man  became  a  changed  and  greatly  improved 
character. 

In  the  year  1818,  the  infirmities  which  had  increased 
upon  David  Sands,  subjected  him  at  times  to  great 
bodily  pain :  but  his  mind  was  supported  with  an 
unshaken  hope  that  all  was  well,  as  respected  a  future 
state,  saying  that  he  had  no  fears,  except  that  he  might 
not  bear  the  pains  of  his  departing  moments  with  as 
much  patience  as  he  ought.  His  greatest  anxiety 
seemed  to  be  for  an  increase  of  the  Kingdom  of  Christ, 
and  of  the  religious  Society  of  which  he  had  long  been 
a  deeply  exercised  member,  and  to  whose  principles, 


12 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  DAVID  SANDS. 


identical  as  he  believed  them  to  be  with  genuine  Chris- 
tianity, he  was  deeply  attached.  He  declared  in  these 
solemn  moments  that  these  considerations  were  dearer 
to  him  than  his  natural  life.  s 

About  this  period,  a  number  of  Friends  met  after  a 
Monthly  Meeting  at  Cornwall,  to  which  he  belonged; 
and  he  requested  a  religious  opportunity  with  them. 
After  communicating  suitable  counsel  and  encourage- 
ment, he  said :  "  I  wish  my  friends  everywhere  to 
know  that  I  am  like  the  children  of  Israel,  when  pass- 
ing through  the  wilderness,  my  shoes  are  not  waxed 
old,  nor  my  garments  rent ;  but  the  same  living  exer- 
cise and  travail  of  spirit  that  I  have  witnessed  in  early 
life,  is  yet  my  experience,  and  the  prayer  of  my  heart 
often  is  that  my  sword  may  remain  bright,  and  that  I 
may  go  down  to  my  grave  in  my  harness."  This  de- 
sire seemed  to  have  been  granted.  After  visiting  the 
families  belonging  to  his  own  meeting,  he  attended  the 
meeting  on  First  Day  for  the  last  time,  in  which  be 
was  remarkably  favored  in  testimony,  though  in  much 
bodily  weakness. 

On  returning  home,  he  remarked  that  he  had  never 
felt  such  happiness  before ;  that  he  felt  himself  sur- 
rounded with  heavenly  spirits ;  that  his  sensations  sur- 
passed description.  "  I  think,"  said  he,  "  that  some 
great  change  will  soon  take  place  wTith  me.  Come  life 
or  come  death,  my  joy  and  happiness  seem  complete. 
My  cup  this  day  has  been  made  to  overflow.  I  never 
experienced  such  a  meeting  as  I  have  had  this  day." 

He  had  often  expressed  the  desire  that  he  might  'be 
released  from  the  suffering  of  much  bodily  pain  in  the 
closing  hour ;  and  he  was  favored  to  have  this  desire 
also  granted.  On  the  Fourth-day  following,  in  much 
quietness  and  composure  he  breathed  his  last,  like  one 
falling  into  a  sweet  sleep. 


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